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Victims of triple talaq speak of their agony

The dreaded method, which can end a marriage abruptly, has claimed many victims, who are often taken by surprise and are mostly unaware of the reasons.

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(L-R) Shabista Shaikh, Ruhi Khan and Nikah Ansari
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Unlike Jaipur-based Afreen Rehman or Uttarakhand's Shaharyar Bano, Bandra slum resident Shabista Shaikh does not have the means to fight for justice in court, after her husband "divorced" her through a phone call two years ago, just after a year of marriage.

Shaikh is not sure what the reason behind the divorce was, but she guesses it to be another woman. "He was running after a girl in his village. I would often object, but instead of listening to me and mending his ways, he would beat me up. Over two years ago, he called me from Ahmedabad and pronounced talaq three times to end our marriage," said Shaikh, who was at the time at her mother's place for delivery of her son, now two years old.

Shaikh does odd jobs to make some money but is mainly dependent on her parents. "All I want is that he give me some money for my son. His life should not be compromised," said Shaikh, adding, "He (husband) is in his village and refuses to talk to us."

The dreaded method, which can end a marriage abruptly, has claimed many victims, who are often taken by surprise and are mostly unaware of the reasons.

Nikah Ansari (name changed on request), a 31-year-old Bandra resident, is another such victim who received the first jolt while waiting for delivery at her mother's place. "It was our first anniversary. My brother-in-law came and dumped all the gifts, given during marriage, outside my parents' home," said Ansari. Post that humiliating incident, the rocky marriage went on for another nine years, before Ansari's husband finally announced talaq three times during a yet another reconciliation meet.

"He said talaq three times and left. Those involved in the reconciliation process ran after him, telling him he cannot get away this way and has to give it in writing. A divorce agreement on a stamp paper, with no signature on it, was sent to her, demanding her signature to accept the divorce. We have stopped that," said Khatoon Shaikh, who runs Aurton ki Shariah Adalat under the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), which is helping women approach the women's commission against unilateral, oral and triple talaq.

The mother of two later found out, through relatives, that her Qatar-based husband had married another woman. "I did not get to know that he is marrying someone else. I would not have allowed that to happen," said Ansari, who provides tiffin service to meet her expenses.

Not getting maintenance after divorce is the most common grievance of the victims. Ruhi Khan (name changed on request), a resident of Khar, has been living with her in-laws in a joint family, even though she got "divorced" four years ago, after almost two decades of marriage.

"He questions why should he be taking responsibility of me and my son?" said Khan, who got a letter from a Qazi one fine day, which stated that she had been divorced. "His parents, too, tried to make him understand but he has now married and moved in with another woman. My son, who was very close to him, is in a shock. He had to quit his studies to do work. Mostly, he remains distracted because his father has not spoken to him in over a year. It is my son's future now that I worry about the most. We are still willing to live with him," said Khan.

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