In Gujarat ashes, love story flickers with hope

Then, as the months passed and peace returned, they fell in love and decided to get married. But Shaahin8217;s parents came in the way. They started pressurising her to get married to a 8216;suitable8217; boy of their choice. Disgusted, she finally ran away from home this April8212;on her own.

Her parents immediately lodged a complaint with the local police, accusing Sandeep of having abducted her. Sandeep was arrested on May 11 and after the customary remand period, sent to Sabarmati Central Jail.

When Shaahin heard the news, she emerged from her hideout8212;an aunt8217;s house8212; on May 29 and went straight to the police station, where she declared that she had run away to evade a 8220;forced8221; marriage.

She then pleaded with the police to release Sandeep, but in vain. For, Sandeep8217;s bail application was rejected by a lower court in Ahmedabad8212;for the third time8212;because the prosecution wanted to examine if the boy had any sexual relationship with the girl. The court has asked for a medical examination to be conducted on the girl and has ordered the report to be submitted tomorow.

8216;8216;We are devastated. Is this what we get for saving someone8217;s life?8217;8217; asks a weeping Ushaben, Sandeep8217;s mother. Shaahin8217;s family has told the court that she is still a minor 8212; three months below 18. But the girl says she8217;s not, though she does not have any document to prove it.

Shaahin, however, refuses to return home, and is now staying at the State-run Nari Sanrakshan Grih NSG in Odhav. 8216;8216;She was afraid her parents would hurt her and marry her off to someone else,8217;8217; says Senior Inspector V S Gohil, who8217;s investigating the case.

Shaahin is said to have stated that she8217;ll 8220;marry only Sandeep and no one else. If he doesn8217;t want to marry me or his family prevents him, I will never get married.8217;8217;

Caretakers at NSG say the girl has been crying ever since she landed there. 8216;8216;She says her parents deliberately told the police that she was below 18 so that charges could be framed against Sandeep,8217;8217; reveals one of them.

Bachubhai Malek, Shaahin8217;s grandfather and a close friend of Sandeep8217;s father, says her parents were wrong in accusing Sandeep. 8216;8216;He would never do that. He and Shaahin liked each other and exchanged letters. They probably wanted to get married,8217;8217; says the retired State Government employee.

However, Shaahin8217;s mother, Shahnaz Bano, is vehemently opposed to Sandeep. 8216;8216;Shaahin is our eldest daughter. If she marries a Hindu boy, no one will marry her younger sisters,8217;8217; she says. 8216;8216;If she wants to do that, she cannot do it as our daughter.8217;8217; Meanwhile, in jail, Sandeep is waiting for the day he will walk free. 8216;8216;He wants to marry her, but we want to secure his release first,8217;8217; says his father Purshottam.