On Tuesday, a Pakistani court sent 15-year-old Hindu girl Mehak Kumari to a child protection home for two years or until she turns 18.
She is alleged to have been abducted, converted to Islam, and married off to a 28-year-old man called Ali Raza, a divorced father of four.
After the court order, police have sealed the city of Jacobabad fearing protests from activists who might be expecting the court to hand over the girl to her parents.
#VIDEO #MehakKumariCase Extremely tight security arrangements keeping in view the law and order situation. 5 hundred police & 200 Rangers personnel have been deployed from 5 districts, Court handed over Aliza #MehakKumari to Child Shelter Home for 2 years pic.twitter.com/5fV5sZd6Cu
— Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) February 18, 2020
A Pakistani Hindu organisation has meanwhile hit the streets and demonstrated to highlight religious atrocities happening in the country.
Meanwhile Pakistani #Hindu organisation while shouting slogans against ongoing religious attrocities in Pakistan, took out a protest march at #Jacbabad city. They were demanding the early release of #HinduGirl #MehakKumari who was abducted, forced married and converted to Islam. pic.twitter.com/vfnJSvXkK4
— Ravinder Singh Robin ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ راویندرسنگھ روبن (@rsrobin1) February 18, 2020
The case sparked outrage among members of both the Hindu and Muslim communities after she went missing for five days last month.
On Tuesday, Pakistan human rights activists and members of the Indian community also staged a protest outside the Pakistan High Commission in London against the alleged abduction and conversion of the girl.
#London
— ConnectGujarat (@ConnectGujarat) February 18, 2020
Pakistani human rights activists&members of Indian community living in UK,continue to protest outside Pak High Commission in London seeking justice for Mehak Kumari,a minor Hindu girl who was reportedly forcibly converted to Islam&married to Muslim man in Sindh.#CGNews pic.twitter.com/7FOJrN3Z79
The girl had purportedly recorded her statement before the court in January that she willfully accepted Islam and consented to marry Ali Raza, while her family claims she was abducted and forcefully converted.
The court had directed authorities to get Mehak’s ossification test done to confirm her age. The directive had come after her parents claimed that she was a minor and therefore, her statement should not be taken into account.
A video clip also emerged on social media in which the girl appears with her husband Raza, and identifies herself according to her new Muslim name and claims that she has accepted Islam and married Raza.
#jacobabad #Hindu community record their protest agonist alleged forced conversion of #Mehakkumari today she produced in the court after nikah of Muslim boy , #Bharchondi family gave protection to boy pic.twitter.com/2sUz3lPYuI
— Riaz sohail (@RiazSangi) January 21, 2020
