Interfaith wedding takes place in Uluberia under police protection after Calcutta High Court order
Times of India | 30 July 2026
Kolkata: Baishali Saha (31) and Akram Khan (34) finally tied the knot on Wednesday afternoon in a small ceremony, attended by three witnesses, a marriage registrar and around 10 Uluberia cops. The interfaith couple, who faced resistance from some people, who claimed to be members of “Hindu groups”, had to take their fight to marry by their choice to the high court.
The single bench of Calcutta High Court Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya had directed the Uluberia Police Station inspector-in-charge to ensure that Saha, a Hindu, and Khan, a Muslim, could get married without any disturbance. The Uluberia Police Station IC, Debashis Das, told TOI, “The wedding was conducted peacefully. The couple moved the Calcutta High Court and it granted them the protection. Going by the HC order, 10 police personnel, including women, were deployed at the wedding venue.”
The couple had been in love since their teen days around 16 years ago but when the news of their decision to get married was reportedly leaked on social media, they faced resistance from some alleged “Hindu groups” who not only called their union ‘Love Jihad’ but also landed at Saha’s home. There, the men reportedly threatened Saha and her father and tried to pressure him into lodging false complaints against Khan.
But the couple stood their ground. Their advocate said the parents of the two agreed to their marriage. On July 22, the notice of “solemnisation of marriage” got leaked in public domain. People belonging to “Hindu organisations” gathered at the woman’s residence, threatening the couple and Saha’s father with burning his shops down and disrupting his business.
The couple dismissed the claims of ‘Love Jihad’. “How is this Love Jihad? Do I look below 18? We have been in love for 16 years. They dragged my father to the police station. I was constantly being forced to file a false case against Akram. I got life threats. My father received threats. There is nothing about conversion, we will retain our religion. We even applied for registration under the Special Marriage Act. We are not doing anything unlawful,” Saha had told reporters on Monday after the HC’s order.