A month after the controversial wedding of Monalisa Bhosle, a teenager from Madhya Pradesh who gained popularity through the Kumbh Mela last year, it has been reported that a case has been registered against her husband Faram Khan under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. While the wedding took place in Kerala, the case was registered at the Maheshwar police station in Madhya Pradesh, after the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes had reportedly found that Monalisa was underage.
Following this, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala has turned critical towards the ruling party of the state for offering support for the wedding of a minor girl. On March 11, the day of the wedding, leaders from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), including Minister V Sivankutty, Member of Parliament AA Rahim and the party’s state secretary MV Govindan, had come to offer support to the newly-married. The inter-faith couple had sought police protection in Thiruvananthapuram, since Monalisa’s parents were allegedly opposed to the union.
The three CPI(M) leaders who had rushed to the wedding at a temple in Thiruvananthapuram said that Kerala, known for its secular values, would stand by the couple.
After news surfaced about the POCSO case against Faram Khan, S Suresh, the BJP’s state secretary, criticised the three CPI(M) leaders for taking part in the wedding of a minor girl. “Is creating a fake [age] certificate of a 16 year old and getting her married the job of MV Govindan? Is that the job of Minister Sivankutty? Or CPI(M) MP AA Rahim? Doesn't this become a conspiracy? They are all part of it. They should be charged under the SC/ST Act and Criminal Conspiracy.”
The CPI(M) has denied organising the wedding, saying that party leaders attended only after learning the ceremony was happening.
Even back then, there were rumours of Monalisa being underage. Following this, the couple had held a press conference to display Monalisa’s identity card that showed her age to be 18.
However, investigation by the Commission has reportedly led to hospital records in Madhya Pradesh showing her date of birth to be in December 2009. This would make her age 16 at the time of the wedding.
The Commission has also summoned Kerala Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar and Madhya Pradesh Police Chief SK Rout to appear in Delhi over the matter.
With inputs from IANS