The daughter of a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and her husband were assaulted by unidentified people at the Allahabad High Court on Monday, the Hindustan Times reported. The court ordered that the couple be placed under police protection.
Ajitesh Kumar and his wife Sakshi Mishra arrived in Prayagraj from Noida under police protection, which was given to them last week after Mishra alleged in a video that they were under threat from her father Rajesh Kumar Mishra’s goons as she had married against her family’s wishes. The legislator, also known as Pappu Bhartaul, represents Bareilly’s Bithari Chainpur constituency in the Assembly.
In the video, which went viral on social media, Sakshi Mishra appealed to her father, her brother, and their aides to let them live peacefully. “If anything happens to me, my husband, or his family in the future, my father Pappu Bhartaul, Vicky Bhartaul, and my father’s aide Rajeev Rana will be responsible for it,” she added. Sakshi Mishra also requested other legislators and politicians to stop helping her father.
Watch: UP MLA’s daughter fears honour killing after marrying Dalit, asks police to provide security
The High Court reportedly upheld the validity of the couple’s marriage, and directed authorities to provide the couple necessary protection. It also expressed anger at Rajesh Kumar Mishra, who has refuted his daughter’s allegation and said she “has the right to make her choices”.
The couple were assaulted as soon as they stepped out of the courtroom after the hearing, PTI reported, quoting eyewitnesses.
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The Daily Fix: Couple’s viral video should stir India to confront the brutal reality of caste system
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