Blinded by love, not by caste
Tushar’s undeserved jail sentence could not dampen the love he felt for his wife
Love gives us the strength to endure hardships in life and to stand firm in protecting what is important to us. Tushar Das, an ordinary man belonging to a lower Hindu caste, fell in love and married Shusmita Debnath Aditi, who belongs to a higher caste.
Tushar and Shusmita were blinded by love, not by caste. Sadly, Susmita’s family refused to accept Tushar because of his caste and filed a case that led to his imprisonment.
After a lengthy legal battle, he walked out of jail to be with his beloved wife on Wednesday. The couple had endured the storm and finally received a happy ending they so rightfully deserve.
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On August 1, the High Court (HC) ordered release of Tushar on bail after he spent over one month in prison for committing no crime other than marrying the woman he loved.
Susmita, refusing to give in to her family’s unjust prejudices, secured her husband’s freedom by appearing before the court with 3-month old daughter and convinced the judges of his innocence.
The HC bench also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the lower court judgment that sentenced Tushar to prison should not be scrapped.
“I am very happy because I am finally with my family. I am grateful to my family members, especially to my wife, who faced many obstacles to free me from jail,” an overjoyed Tushar told The Business Standard over phone.
“I had filed General Diary (GD) against Shusmita’s family members in Shariatpur’s Palong police station, but the police took no steps to protect us,” he added.
Jailed for love
A strong social stigma is attached to the idea of marriage between different Hindu castes, which sometimes leads to social isolation of couples.
Tushar and Shusmita fell in love and got married at Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka on October 15, 2017. Shusmita’s family did not approve of the marriage.
On October 24 of the same year, Shusmita’s mother filed an abduction and rape case against Tushar and his parents with Shariatpur’s Palong police station.
On July 23, 2019, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal of Shariatpur completed cross-examining all seven prosecution witnesses and delivered the judgment in the case.
Tushar was convicted and sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment by the lower court on the charge of kidnapping his wife Shusmita.
He later filed an appeal with the HC, seeking bail in the case.
Later on August 1, the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman observed that there is no legal bar against marriage between higher and lower caste couples.
After hearing Tushar’s petition the same day, the HC bench granted him bail and stayed the lower court order that fined him Tk 20,000.
