In Bihar’s Khagaria district, a youth named Mohammad Ishtaaq along with his family members has been accused of forcing a girl to consume acid. The father of the victim has complained against Mohammad Ishtaaq and five others at the Khagaria police station, based on which the police are probing the case. The accused is said to be a clerk in the Indian Army.
According to reports, the incident happened on March 20, 2023, in the Baburaha village of Parbatta block of Khagaria district, Bihar. The victim, who sustained serious injuries on her face, lips and tongue was rushed to a private hospital for treatment. As her condition deteriorated, she was referred to the Bhagalpur Medical College Hospital where she is currently undergoing treatment.
Mohammad Ishtaaq and the girl, both natives of Baburaha village, had been in a love relationship for the past ten years, according to the police. Since the girls and Ishtaaq’s families were disapproving of the relationship, they took the couple to court and the panchayat to settle the matter. Yet, the two’s love affair persisted. Meanwhile, Ishtaaq joined the army in the year 2020 and moved to Delhi for his training.
It was agreed between the two that they would marry after the training was completed. Meanwhile, Ishtaaq parents fixed his marriage elsewhere, for which he visited his village. When the victim came to know about this, she reached Ishtaaq’s house and pressurised him to marry her. Since he did not intend to marry her, he and his family forced her to consume acid.
The victim’s father stated in his complaint that Ishtaaq sexually exploited her under the false promise of marrying her after he gets a job. However, once he got a job in the Indian Army Ishtaaq started avoiding his daughter.
Meanwhile, the accused family, in its defence, have produced a screen recording of a video call that took place between Ishtaaq and the girl to the police, which the latter is also looking into.