City woman on fast for lady love arrested

RAJKOT: The final act of a lesbian love story is being played out in the streets of this conservative Gujarati city after the first two acts unfolded in a cop station and a courtroom.
Naseem Budhiya (26), whose family is in the imitation jewelry business and Kajal Patel (25), who comes from a family of marble traders met at the dance floor of a water park seven years ago and struck a friendship, which bloomed in college.When the duo declared their love for each other, Kajal's parents got her engaged to a boy from Mehsana.
Kajal fled her home on March 20 and began living with Naseem at a rented apartment in Rajkot. However, the police traced them five days later after Kajal's parents filed a `missing' complaint. Naseem has alleged that the police arrived with goons and dragged them to the police station at midnight, where they were beaten up. Incidentally, the police commissioner of Rajkot happens to be a woman, Geeta Johri, who initially probed the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case on the directions of the Supreme Court.
Naseem and her advocate, Samir Chaya, alleged the duo was taken to a women's organization from where Kajal was taken away by her parents. Naseem petitioned the court saying that Kajal's parents had kidnapped her and that there was threat to her (Kajal's) life.
The court sent notice to Kajal's parents to remain present in court with her on April 2 but they filed to do so, citing some religious function. They were not present for the next hearing on April 6 as well. Kajal's uncle told the court that the family was away on a pilgrimage. However, that day, magistrate U M Bhatt was transferred. The case will now come up for hearing on April 15.
Meanwhile, on Monday, an impatient Naseem sat on a `fast unto death' under B R Ambedkar's statue at Hospital Chowk, demanding that Kajal be freed . The Bajrang Dal got into the act but the police ensured that they were kept away from Naseem.
On Tuesday, the police arrested Naseem after they got a statement from Mehsana police which said that they had recorded Kajal's statement where she said that she did not want to live with Naseem. Kajal is with her grandparents in Mehsana. Naseem is out on bail.