From different faiths, they went to court to marry. He was assaulted, arrested – and now acquitted - The Indian Express

They started out as neighbours who became friends. Eventually, they fell in love and wished to get married. Because they were from different faiths and knew it could pose challenges, they decided to seek refuge in the law.

On February 7, 2025, this couple from Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district set out for the state capital to get married under the Special Marriage Act. But inside the Bhopal district court, the man, Saiyyad Khan, was assaulted by a group of lawyers. He was later arrested on charges of forcing his partner to convert to Islam and marry him.

Last week, Khan was acquitted by the Narmadapuram district court.

Though relieved, the 26-year-old has little to celebrate.

Soon after his arrest, his fiancée married another man from the locality. Khan lost his job and, along with his family, has been living in his ancestral village.

“The last time I saw her was in court, when she was defending me. Then, she got married… I was driven away from my home. Local villagers pelted my family with stones,” Khan says. “A lot of people stood against us.”

Recalling their relationship, Khan says it started with friendship that blossomed into love. After a year of dating, he says, “she wanted to get married”. “It was her idea in the first place,” Khan tells The Indian Express over the phone.

When the day arrived, the couple set out for Bhopal by bus, carrying the necessary documents. They entered the district court hoping only a few formalities remained.

But inside the court, a swarm of lawyers cornered the couple and assaulted the man.

What followed was a longer ordeal. The woman – according to Khan, she was coerced by her family – lodged a complaint against him. But with each subsequent hearing, she refused to stand by any of the allegations.

Archana Raghuvanshi, the Second District and Additional Sessions Judge, Pipariya, District Narmadapuram, acquitted Khan on September 8 after the main witnesses, including the woman and her family members, did not support the prosecution case.

The prosecution alleged that Khan pressured the woman into changing her name and religion, telling her she would become “Rehana Khan” after converting to Islam. Acting on his persuasion, she agreed to marry him and travelled with him to Bhopal, it was alleged. However, during trial, the woman did not support the prosecution case and was declared hostile. The court noted that she denied several key allegations against the accused.

She denied that he had called her to meet him at the bus stand, that she had gone to Bhopal with him instead of appearing for her examination, or that he had persuaded her to convert. Instead, she told the court that “she had voluntarily left home” and that “she herself had asked the accused to marry her”.

She also denied that the accused had told her she would be given the name “Rehana Khan” after nikah, or that he had “persuaded, induced or threatened” her to convert.

The court noted that the complainant and her mother both denied having knowledge of the alleged statement that the accused would “convert your religion, make you adopt the Muslim religion and change your name to Rehana” – as stated by the prosecution. They also denied that the family had been called to Bhopal after she objected to the alleged conversion at the court.

The woman’s mother told the court that “she went of her own free will”, while her brother denied that the accused had taken her to Bhopal by inducing her for the purpose of religious conversion. The court noted that the mother admitted that, by the time of the proceedings, “she had arranged her daughter’s marriage elsewhere.”

On the basis of these testimonies, the court observed that the complainant and her mother, who were two important prosecution witnesses, “have not fully supported the prosecution story.”

The complainant stated during cross-examination that police officers “obtained her signatures on several papers by putting pressure on her” and also recorded her statement before the magistrate’s court. She acknowledged that after the incident, she had no communication with the accused.

Before the case, Khan worked as a machine operator at a factory. But soon after the incident, he lost his job. “The work stopped,” he says. For almost a year after, he did not work at all.

Now, he is looking to rebuild his life. “I wish to finally move on from this. I am happy with the verdict even though there is a lot of sadness for what I have lost.”

Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy. Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free. Expertise and Reporting Beats Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors: National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres. Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA). Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking. Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers. Professional Background Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017. Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh. Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs. Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife. Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance. Digital & Professional Presence Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More