Indian citizens mother, son arrested after being labelled Pakistanis
New Delhi : Police in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapura district have arrested a Muslim woman and her son, both Indian citizens, after Hindutva groups alleged they were Pakistani nationals.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the arrested have been identified as Farah Naz and her son Mohammed Fardeen, residents of Bagepalli.
Farah Naz is married to Mohammed Ayub Khan, an Indian national from Bagepalli who worked in the UAE. The couple has four children. Three children, including the father, are Indian nationals.
The family says Fardeen was born in Pakistan but holds Indian citizenship. Police said “credible information” was received that the mother and son had obtained a ration card and voter ID.
Following this, the Deputy Commissioner cancelled the ration card and the competent authority cancelled the voter ID, alleging “material facts regarding nationality” were suppressed.
A case was registered against Farah Naz and Mohammed Fardeen under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Foreigners Act and the Representation of the People Act on a complaint by the Bagepalli Tahsildar.
“Both have been arrested, and further investigation is in progress,” Superintendent of Police Kushal Chouksey said.
Rights observers note the arrests come amid growing pressure from Hindutva groups in the state to target interfaith families and question the citizenship of Muslims with cross-border marital ties.
