Man Accuses Wife, Mother-In-Law Of Forced Circumcision In Assam

Guwahati: A man from Rajasthan has accused his wife and mother-in-law of pressuring him to convert to Islam and alleged that he was circumcised against his wishes after being taken to an isolated location in Guwahati.The complainant, Akhil Kumar Chandak, has lodged an FIR at the Bhangagarh Police Station against his 24-year-old wife, Nurshika Begum, and her 36-year-old mother, Nur Khatun.While the mother-in-law has been arrested, the wife is in Bengaluru and has been asked to join the probe.Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Chandak said he met Nurshika in Delhi in 2019. They later married through a court wedding in Assam and lived together for nearly three years.He said there were no major disagreements over religion during the initial period of their relationship.How the Alleged Religious Conversion Pressure BeganChandak claimed that the situation changed after his wife's family and people in her village came to know that he was Hindu.He said a photograph of Nurshika wearing sindoor, which she had uploaded on Facebook, brought their interfaith marriage to the attention of villagers. He alleged that pressure on him to embrace Islam began after that."Initially, everything was normal. I stayed at their house for around ten days, and her family treated me well. There was no discussion about religious conversion at that time. The pressure started much later, after people in the village came to know that she had married a Hindu man," Chandak told NDTV.What Happened Near Guwahati's TV Tower?Describing the alleged incident, Chandak said his wife had left for her village around six months ago following an argument between them.He claimed that his mother-in-law subsequently contacted him and asked him to come so that the family could resolve their differences.According to Chandak, he was asked to reach Jalukbari, where two unidentified men picked him up in a vehicle. He said the men were introduced to him as relatives before they took him towards the TV Tower area.Chandak alleged that he was given an intoxicating substance inside the vehicle and circumcised."There, I was given an intoxicating substance and circumcised inside the vehicle. I was not in a position to resist what was happening," he alleged.He further claimed that he was forced to eat beef despite refusing to do so. According to him, this was also an attempt to make him accept Islam.Demands to Change Name, Formally ConvertChandak said he had initially agreed to consider conversion following repeated discussions and pressure. However, he was not prepared to legally change his name or complete the formal process of religious conversion.He claimed that demands to change his name and formally declare his conversion had intensified over the past two months, following which he decided to approach the police.The complainant also said he underwent a medical examination and forensic assessment after filing the complaint. He claimed to have shared details of his treatment and movements with the investigating officers.Chandak holds his Mother-in-Law ResponsibleChandak said he believed his mother-in-law was primarily responsible for the alleged pressure. He clarified that he had not named his father-in-law in the complaint, claiming that the latter had never directly asked him to change his religion."I do not want to implicate anyone unnecessarily. I believe my mother-in-law was mainly responsible. My father-in-law never forced me to convert," he said.The police are investigating the allegations and examining the circumstances surrounding the incident. The probe is underway to establish the sequence of events and the role of those named in the complaint.Despite attempts, NDTV could not contact his wife for her statement on the allegations.