Kanchan Mishra Case: Disgrace to all seculars

There are marriages made in heaven and then there are marriages made in Bihar. The tears that flowed on November 6 when Sultan Mian married Kanchan Mishra, 22, in a mosque in Patna's Mainpura were not that of joy. The criminal, who is wanted in a dozen cases of murder and kidnapping, abducted Kanchan, a married woman, married her and spent the honeymoon night at the official residence of a senior minister. Sultan's wedding party included cabinet ministers and police officers.

The fight continues: Kanchan Mishra's mother Suchitra Devi with her grandson and relatives

A three-member team of the National Commission for Women arrived in Patna on December 16 to probe the matter. Chairperson Purnima Advani threatened action against the police if they did not produce Kanchan in 10 days, but long after the deadline the commission appeared helpless over police indifference.

The police excuse is that no one has lodged a formal complaint. "Even Kanchan's mother, Suchitra Devi, who reportedly takes care of her 10-month-old son, has not come forward to file a complaint and the qazi of the mosque has denied conducting the ceremony," says Director-General of Police R.R. Prasad. "When the US cannot arrest Osama bin Laden, and the joint team from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has failed to arrest Veerappan, how can we nab Sultan immediately?"

Ironically, on the face of it, Sultan, who came into prominence after the murder of businessman Binod Kamalia, seems more forthcoming. He is willing to produce documents proving his marriage before the women's commission. "The marriage was not forcible," he says. "The media has been publishing false reports. I have proof of the legality of the marriage."

Sultan Mian's (left) men have threatened to kill Kanchan's lover,
Pappu, if he tries to rescue her.

Kanchan belongs to Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district. Four years ago, following the unexpected death of her father and elder brother, she came to Patna with her mother and three brothers. She married Vinay Kumar Jha, an autorickshaw driver, but he harassed her and the relationship did not last. While she was not legally separated, she started living with her neighbour, Pappu Pandit, and they had a child.

The police cite this as a deterrent in pursuing the case. "Kanchan worked in a beauty parlour and was in love with Sultan," says an officer. "The forcible marriage story is a fabrication." Eyewitnesses, however, say Sultan forcibly pushed Kanchan into his car. Her mother and brothers, who work in a restaurant, are doing what they can to free her. But Sultan, who allegedly lives in a ministerial residence, is a formidable opponent and no one is willing to help them. Pappu says Sultan's men have threatened to kill him if he tries to rescue her. "They will kill me," he said in tears to this correspondent. "Please leave."

Sultan allegedly had threatened to kill Kanchan's family if she did not marry him. "She was so terrified that two days before her kidnapping she overdosed on sleeping pills," says a close friend. The kidnapping has assumed communal colours with an organisation called Hindu Unity offering a reward of Rs 7,50,000 for rescuing Kanchan.