Daughters of different god

Fear makes perfectly good people provide perfectly valid justifications for ultimately vile practices.

Excerpts from "The Dawn"

Dalit communities settled in Sindh have adopted the practice of early marriages: girls as young as 11 are forcibly married off with the rationalisation that they’ll be kidnapped or even raped if they are single

Do you know the reason?  See it for yourself.

If she is kidnapped, then she is converted and married off to a Muslim man. In most cases, despite protests by parents and Hindu rights activists, the family will never see the girl again.

Frightened parents, therefore, wed their daughter at an early age to reduce the risks of their daughters being kidnapped. 

Kohli of Pakistan

Thirteen-year-old Neelam Kohli could also have fallen prey to the same vicious cycle but she has been the exception to the rule: kidnapped, raped and converted about two years ago, she was able to return to her family on the directives of a court.

She is alive and well today, her conversion has not been deemed legal, and she is not burdened with pregnancy either since she couldn’t bear children when she was raped. 

 She was kidnapped in September 2014, while her peasant parents were tilling the land. In her testimony later on, she named a local influential, Akbar Khokhar, and his two friends, Javed Kokhar and Dalho Kohli, as the kidnappers. The accused took her to a local madressah, where she was converted.

Her parents approached the police and lodged an FIR against her kidnapping.  Local Hindu groups protested in favour of her recovery and ultimately, she was brought to a local court, where her parents proved her age. She was 11 at the time. The court issued directives to free her and allowed the parents to take her home, 

but no action was taken against the accused and they were allowed to walk free.

After Neelam’s return, her father Nemoon decided to migrate from their colony: the three influential predators were still out and around, and they could kidnap Neelam once again. The family left Bheel Colony and moved to Samaro Town of Umerkot district, where they live now.

What makes their life more miserable?

“A section of the [Hindu Marriage Bill] says that if any Hindu woman, even if she is married and has children, has converted to Islam, her Hindu marriage will be considered illegal. Many influential people will exploit this section

“We are frightened that someone will again come and kidnap her, and maybe this time around, we will not be able to bring her back,” says Neelam’s mother, Hanjoo Kohli. Her house comprises two smallsized makeshift huts surrounded by a thorn fence. They rarely leave their village.

“Every year, around 1,000 to 1,200 Dalits girls — approximately 100 every month —are kidnapped and forcibly converted. The numbers could be more but there is no any mechanism to calculate the actual figure,” says renowned Dalit activist Surendar Valasai, who is also the advisor on minority affairs to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Patron-in-Chief of the PPP.

Who will forget the face of father of these hapless girls?

On the eve of Holi, Reena Meghwar (12) and Raveena Meghwar (14) were kidnapped from their home in Dahrki in Sindh’s Ghotki district. Another Hindu girl had also been reportedly abducted from Mirpukhas district. Later to be proved by court of pakistan that all is well within rule of the land.

On the run

Some 28 years ago, young Meeran was captured by zamindar Lal Mangrio  She was released some seven years ago. But when her family planned to marry her off within their community, the zamindar’s son, Ibrahim Mangrio, kept her; later on, he and his henchmen would sexually assault her. Meeran now has two children.

About nine years ago, some preachers contacted Chander Kohli and drove him to Karachi. They offered him a better life and a Muslim woman’s hand in marriage if he converted to Islam.  He was attracted by the glamour of urban Muslim life and subsequently converted.

But at home, Chandar’s wife refused to become Muslim and went to live with her parents instead. Meanwhile, those who had helped Chandar convert distanced themselves. Today, Chandar faces an unusual dilemma: he is officially a Muslim citizen, 

and according to Islamic laws, 

he cannot become Hindu again. His family is still not willing to convert.