A Special CBI court in Ranchi on Thursday pronounced the sentencing for the Tara Shahdeo forced religious conversion case. The court awarded life imprisonment to her former husband Raqibul, also known as Ranjeet Singh Kohli, and 10 years to his mother Kaushal Rani (Kaushar Begum). The then registrar of the High Court Mustaque Ahmed, who had conspired, has also been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each of them.
The court had convicted them on September 30, after finding them guilty on various charges, took them into judicial custody, and sent them to Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi.
National-level shooter Tara Shahdeo had married Ranjeet Kumar Kohli (Raqibul), also a shooting professional, on July 7, 2014, in Ranchi. Raqibul had kept her in the dark about his religion and started torturing her from the very next day to get converted to Islam. Raqibul and his mother used to torture her after she refused to convert to Islam. Finally, she walked out of the marriage after coming to know about Raqibul’s true identity.
Shahdeo, in a statement recorded before a judicial magistrate, said that the then HC Registrar (Vigilance) Mushtaq Ahmed had arranged her marriage according to Hindu traditions at Hotel Radisson Blu in Ranchi and came to their house the very next day with Muslim clerics to solemnize nikah. The victim further said that when she was forced to undergo nikah on July 8, Ahmed was present along with Muslim clerics and a kazi.
Later, the CBI, in its charge sheet said that Shahdeo was repeatedly raped by Raqibul and Ahmed molested her. The charge sheet was filed against Ahmed, Ranjeet Singh Kohli (Raqibul), and his mother Kaushal Rani (Kaushar Begum), upholding Shahdeo’s allegations of deceit, exploitation, and torture.
During the course of the hearing, a total of 26 witnesses were presented by the CBI, on the basis of which the court convicted Ranjeet Singh Kohli, (Raqibul), Mushtaq Ahmed, and Kaushal Rani (Kaushar Begum). All three persons were convicted of assaulting Tara Shahdeo, torturing her for religious conversion, and molesting her as part of a well-planned conspiracy. On June 27, 2018, a family court in Ranchi granted Tara Shahdeo divorce from her husband on the grounds of cruelty, false information, and subsequent domestic and physical violence.
Raqibul has been held guilty under section 120 B read with sections 376 (2) (n), 496, 298, 323, and 506 of IPC, his mother under section 120B of IPC read with sections Sec. 376 (2) (n), 496, 298, 323, 506 of IPC, while Mushtaq Ahmed has been convicted under sections 120B of IPC read with sections 376(2) (n), 496, 298, 323 and 506 of IPC.
“When my fight started, it was labelled as domestic violence. But my efforts were that this (Love Jihad) should not happen with any girl. People were hesitant to speak that word (Love Jihad). After this judgment, they would come up against it openly,” Shahdeo said while speaking to ANI.
