‘Paying’ for their husbands’ ‘sins’, these women in UP looking for respite after polls

They are women in deep distress. Their family lives have been torn apart, and they are paying for the sins of their husbands.

These women are not contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but are keenly watching the political events unfold — they see some hope for themselves after the new government is formed at the Centre.

“We know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming back to power, so we will be able to plead our case before him and he will probably give some time to listen to our woes,” said a source close to one of these women.

Topping the list is Shaista Parveen, the widow of slain gangster Atiq Ahmad, who not only lost her husband last year, but also her son Asad, who was killed in a police encounter in 2023. The two were killed within two days of each other.

Her two elder sons, Umar and Ali, are in jail and Shaista, who now carries a reward of Rs 75,000 on her head, has been absconding for over a year now.

Her sister-in-law Zainab faces a similar fate. Her husband and Atiq’s brother, Ashraf, was killed along with his Atiq. Zainab remains untraceable, as the police continue to hunt for her.

According to sources, the two women — through a local cleric — have been sending out feelers to the local politicians in Prayagraj, seeking some respite after the elections.

“Some senior and respected members of our community are also working to ease the situation, and we hope things will improve after the polls,” said the source.

Khushi Dubey, the young widow of the late Amar Dubey — an accused in the Bikru massacre of 2020 in which eight police personnel were killed — spent three years in jail after the incident.

She had been married for three days when the massacre took place, and was accused of being a part of the conspiracy. A minor at the time of her marriage and the massacre, she spent months in jail trying to convince the court that she was innocent.

She said, “I want the cases against me should be withdrawn and I should be allowed to move ahead in life.”

Afsha Ansari, the widow of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died recently due to a cardiac arrest in jail, is also absconding due to the multiple cases lodged against her. Fearing arrest, she did not even attend the funeral of her husband. Her elder son Abbas Ansari is already in jail.

Her brother-in-law Afzal Ansari said, “I will not rest till I ensure justice for my brother and his family. Once the elections are over, we will exercise all the legal options available to us.”

Payal Maheshwari, the widow of gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari a.k.a. Jeeva, who was shot inside a Lucknow court in June last year, is also absconding because of the multiple cases against her.

She is also in touch with the political leaders in Western UP and wants closure of the cases against her.