Madhya Pradesh: Girl 'Elopes' With Muslim Man Days After BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Took Her To Watch 'The Kerala Story'

A 19-year-old girl from Bhopal, who was taken by BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur to watch The Kerala Story to discourage her relationship with a Muslim man, has gone missing from home and is believed to have eloped with him.

The police is searching for the couple after the girl's mother filed a missing complaint.

The man's family is reportedly worried about retaliation and does not want the girl to come live with them.

On 15 May, the girl's family reported her missing after she locked them inside and left home.

The family also claimed the disappearance of cash amounting to Rs 70,000, along with gold and silver jewellery.

The missing report was filed on 19 May, but the matter gained public attention on Monday (6 June).

According to an Indian Express report, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kamla Nagar police station in Bhopal, Anil Bajpai, stated that there was a prior instance in which the missing girl had been assumed to be missing, however, she had come forward and informed the police that she had gotten married of her own volition and wished to live with her husband.

In response to the latest missing complaint made by the girl's mother, Bajpai said that they are attempting to locate the missing girl and will record her statement after which, they will decide on the future course of action.

According to the officer, the man has several criminal cases for fighting in his area.

Bajpai said he does not know whether the girl had watched The Kerala Story with Pragya Singh Thakur.

In January, the 27-year-old man’s father had taken out a signed affidavit and advertised in newspapers that he had legally disowned his son. According to the man's father, he was tired of his son's behavior of picking fights, returning home drunk and creating disturbance.

"I used to stand surety for my son, but one day I just gave up. He is no son of mine. Now, because of his antics, my whole family is under threat,” he said, reports Indian Express.

Eight months ago, the man's family noticed him walking with a girl from a different community in their locality.

Fearing the girl might be a bad influence, they sent a message through mutual acquaintances to the girl's family, asking them to look after their daughter and not let her marry their son.

"We were scared because the girl belonged to a different community," the man's mother was quoted as saying by IE.

According to the complaint by the girl's mother, she had earlier gone missing on 11 May but when they tried to file a complaint with the police, the girl “turned up in a burqa” and told her family that she had married the man.

On 15 May, she disappeared again after locking her family members inside the house, according to the complaint.

Ever since being tipped-off by the man’s family, the girl’s family has been trying to get her to end the relationship and marry someone else.

On 11 May, they sought counselling for her at Gauravi One-Stop Crisis Centre, established by Madhya Pradesh government to support women victims of violence.

After the counselling session, the girl went missing for the first time, according to the family.

However, she was soon found after which the family decided to take her for a counselling session with BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur.

Later, family took her to counselling session with BJP MP Thakur.

Indian Express quoted a source close to Sadhvi Pragya as saying that the family approached the BJP MP for counselling.

"She (the 19-year-old) was refusing to marry according to her parents’ wishes. Sadhvi ji spent a whole day, leaving all her work, and spoke to the woman. The woman then promised to leave that man. The very next day, Sadhvi ji took the woman, along with several other women from the area, to watch The Kerala Story at a movie theatre… When Sadhvi ji got to know about the news (of the woman’s disappearance) she became very upset. We won’t do anything in this incident, as it is now under the domain of the police," the source was quoted as saying by IE.