“Every day, someone new comes and tries to convince me that I have brought disrespect to my family because I married a Muslim man,” said Sonika Chauhan, 25, who is at the centre of a saga that includes an interfaith wedding, allegations of kidnapping, and vandalism.On May 25, Sonika’s father, Laxman Singh Chauhan, filed a complaint with the Ghaziabad Police, alleging that his daughter had been kidnapped and wrongfully confined by a man named Akbar.The police registered an FIR, after which the couple surrendered at the Indirapuram police station. Hours earlier, they had shot a video in Akbar’s car, stating they were married and requesting that their families not be harmed. Akbar’s shop was also vandalised by a group of men belonging to the Bajrang Dal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Indirapuram Yuva Morcha, and Uttarakhand Samaj Adhikarik, who raised allegations of ‘love jihad’.Akbar was arrested on May 26, as were his relatives, including his sisters. He was finally released on bail on June 8.The police are yet to produce Sonika in court to record her statement.Speaking to The Indian Express, she said, “People keep telling me that I am Hindu and he is Muslim, that I have brought disrespect to my family… I just want to be with him. When will all this end?”Akbar, meanwhile, who spent 14 days in jail before being granted bail by the Ghaziabad district court, said his private life had been turned into a political drama.Story continues below this adDressed in a white shirt and a pair of black jeans, he said, “People are talking about love jihad, but do they know our story? Do they realise that she is my wife? We are married, I am not a criminal,” he said.Akbar recalled what had led to the FIR and vandalism of his two shops.“On May 24, I was at my shop, and Sonika was at her salon, which is right next to my shop. Around 1 pm, Sonika’s mother called her home,” said Akbar, showing CCTV footage from the cameras installed outside his shop.He said at 1.28 pm, Sonika returned with her mother to meet him, claiming that gold jewellery was missing from the house.Story continues below this ad“I told them that I would figure it out. By 4 pm, Sonika returned to her salon, and my friend dropped her mother home. Later that evening, her mother returned to confront us about our marriage,” said Akbar, as he showed a copy of the marriage certificate, dated August 29, 2022, on his phone.Kalpana (25), Sonika’s helper at the salon, said it was around 6-7 pm when Sonika’s mother came to the salon and asked her to shut it down. “There weren’t many customers in the salon… When Sonika refused, her mother hit her. Soon, her father came as well,” said Kalpana.Akbar said that when Sonika’s father confronted him about their marriage, he asked her to tell them the truth. “She did, and we left for Allahabad, shot a video in the car to ensure that our family does not suffer. But everything was ruined… We were on our way to Kanpur when a police officer called and asked us to surrender. We came back, hoping to get police protection…”Akbar and Sonika, neighbours said, had known each other since they were children but fell in love nine years ago.Story continues below this ad“I had known her since childhood, but it was all very formal. She studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya and went to school on the bus… some days, after school, I would stand at the bus stop and look for her. This is how we began talking,” Akbar said.“Over the next five years, we completed school and college. Sonika wasn’t interested in studying and planned to open her salon. So she opted for open school for graduation and joined a VLCC training programme that would last for 1.5 years,” Akbar said.“In 2019, when her training institute denied her a learning certificate, she introduced me to her father. My brother is a lawyer. Several other girls did not get the certificate. I filed the complaint on behalf of 140 girls, and their certificates were issued — and I became a regular in her family,” said the 29-year-old.In 2022, Akbar said, Sonika opened her salon after many false starts and rejections.Story continues below this ad“It was like a dream. We were financially capable of fending for ourselves and decided to get married. I was helping her all along. No friend does that, her parents knew that we were in love,” Akbar said.He reiterated that neither of them abandoned their religion, and they got married under the Special Marriage Act. “I respected her religion and went to each temple that she wanted to go to. All I knew was that we wanted to be together, and I loved her. We thought that once we get married, our parents will not be able to pressure us,” Akbar said.“Today, people are threatening those who were witnesses to our marriage. The problem is not the police or her parents, it is society,” he said.When The Indian Express contacted the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Trans-Hindon, Patil Nimish Dasharath over Sonika not being produced before the court for her statement, he said, “We are trying. We will produce her when she is ready.”Akbar, however, is heartbroken.Story continues below this ad“Bring her to court, let her say what she wants,” he said.“I cannot take this separation. I am suffering, I cannot show the world, but I am breaking apart.”