Shabana Qureshi father on Nikah controversy: Dr Shabana Qureshi, former wife of Narcotics Control Bureau officer Sameer Wankhede, recently had her name dragged into the controversy around the cop's name and religion. While politician Nawab Malik has accused Wankhede of using a forged caste certificate to get a government job, despite being a Muslim, Wankhede has denied these allegations. However, Qureshi's father has now said that he had married his daughter into a Muslim family.
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Maharashtra Cabinet minister Nawab Malik had recently shared Wankhede's nikah nama from his first marriage, in which his name is allegedly written as Sameer Dawood Wankhede. Malik, whose son-in-law was arrested in a drug case by the NCB earlier this year, had also shared the cop's birth certificate in which his father's name is listed as Dawood Wankhede, as opposed to Dnyandev Wankhede (registered with NCB).
Now, Dr Shabana Qureshi's father, Zayed Wankhede, has opened up about the controversy, alleging that his daughter was married into a Muslim family via an arranged alliance. "We were in talks for three years. Since then, I knew Dawood Wankhede and his wife, who were also practising Muslims," he said, further adding that he wouldn't have married his daughter into a Hindu family. "After three years of talks, we did the engagement as per Muslim rituals and the wedding took place 10 months after the engagement.”
According to Dr Zayed Qureshi, Wankhede's mother was a staunch Muslim who performed all religious rituals and that his father had signed the nikah nama, which was written in both Urdu and English, as Dawood Wankhede. He also went on the add that Sameer Wankhede follows all Muslim rituals and offers namaz and even fasts during Ramzan.
Wankhede's wife and actor Kranti Redkar had come forward in defence of her husband on October 27, saying that while Wankhede and Qureshi's Nikah had taken place, Sameer had not legally changed his name or religion. "It was just a formality as my mother-in-law was Muslim and for her happiness, nikah happened.”
Redkar had also penned an open letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recently, writing that the dignity of a woman is being played with, in the state of Shivaji. "If Balasaheb had been there today, he would not have liked it. He is not there today, but you are. We see in you his shadow, his image. You are leading us and I have full faith in you. I am sure you will never let injustice happen to me and my family. So as a Marathi woman, I expect justice from you today. I request you to do justice," she further added. Read more about her open letter here.
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