Overview

• Aarti Kumari submitted a written petition at the Begusarai women’s police station instead of filing an FIR to request repatriation to Indore.
• Police installed her in a women’s shelter in Begusarai where she remains while officials process her return home.
• She alleges that after their 2018 Facebook-arranged marriage Mohammad Shahbaz coerced her to convert to Islam, delete Hindu deity images and eat beef under threat.
• Shahbaz denies the charges as baseless, claiming Aarti had a prior marriage, three children and misrepresented her personal history.
• The case highlights Bihar law enforcement’s use of women’s shelters and repatriation protocols when women seek help without lodging formal complaints.