Mangalore: Jagadish Shenava, president, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, DK unit has dismissed allegation leveled against him by Sonia D’Souza, claiming ‘he was not involved in the issue’. The Christian woman had entered into wedlock with Roshan M.S of the Hindu community at Arya Samaj, in the presence of Hindu activists.
However, she reportedly ran back home after four days of marriage.
After leaving her ‘husband’, the woman had met the Assistant commissioner of police to narrate the course of events. She claimed that ‘it was a forced marriage with Roshan’. The victim, a resident of Elyarpadavu, about 15km from here, also revealed that Jagadeesh Shenava had threatened to harm her parents if she didn’t marry the activist.
The police have registered cases against Roshan, Shenava, Dinesh Kadri, Sharath Amblamogaru, Ganesh Kumpala and Praveen under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty); 147 (punishment for rioting); 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly,); 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc.); 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement); 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt.) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation.).
However, speaking with newskarnataka.com over phone, Jagadish Shenava said he attended the marriage, as he was told it was consensual. He said, “a few Bajarang Dal activists rang me up saying a Christian woman and a Hindu man had agreed to get married in Arya Samaj. Hence, I went there. There were two police personnel each from Kadri and Konaje police station, recording statements of the couple. I did not support their marriage, as the man had no income of his own. But, the couple had no issue. When her mother pleaded, she pledged to live with Roshan”, he said explaining the course of events at Arya Samaj. “I was there only for ten minutes”, he clarified.
‘Runs back home’
Roshan, who was married to Sonia told newskarnataka.com , “we were in love since three years. Hence, we decided to get married in Arya Samaj. However, on the fourth day, she ran from my house, without informing me. I was taking bath at the time”, he said.
“She used to text her brother from my phone. I did not understand the conversation as it was in Konkani”, he added. It’s learnt that her brother had come to pick her up in a car.
In the conversation, her brother insisted that she come home and promised to get her married to a man from the same community. Her brother informs her in the chat, that a person has agreed to marry her despite all these issues and settle in Bahrain.
