PUBG, Pandemic, Pakistan: A UP Village Divided Over an Indo-Pak 'Love' Story
Ground report | How an Indo-Pak 'love story' catapulted Rabupura, a small UP village, to international headlines.
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"Humaari bhabhi aayi hain Pakistan se. Hum bhi unhi ko dekhne aaye hain (Our sister-in-law has come from Pakistan. We are here to see her),” said Shashi Kumar, a daily wage labourer from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, who travelled 50 km to Jewar on Thursday, 13 July to get a glimpse of Seema Ghulam Haider and her children.
The two claimed that they met — and fell in love — in 2020 on the hugely popular gaming app, PUBG-Battleground.
Sachin and his father were also arrested by the police on charges of sheltering Seema.
The couple was granted bail by a civil court in Jewar on 7 July. The court also ordered that as long as the case continues, Seema will not change her residence and will live with Sachin.
The couple's release from jail catapulted Rabupura, a nondescript village in Jewar in western UP, to international headlines.
'Here to See the Woman from Pakistan': Media, Visitors in Queue Outside Sachin's House
Rabupura is where Sachin and his family live, and it is here that Seema, along with her four children, rented a room and lived with Sachin for two months until the UP police came knocking at their door.
When The Quint visited Rabupura on 13 July, Sachin and Seema were not home. Sachin's uncle Birbal Meena said that back-to-back media interviews presence took a toll on the couple’s health.
"The media doesn't let them breathe, eat, take tea breaks or even go to the washroom. This impacted Seema's health and she fainted. We had to rush her to the hospital," Birbal said.
Despite the couple's absence, their love story was all anybody could talk about in the village which had a sea of people who were waiting for Seema to return from the hospital.
Surendra Singh, Sachin's neighbour, told The Quint that people start gathering outside the family's modest two-room house at 9 am and do not leave till at least 10 pm.
"Seema has come and people are here to see her. Public gathers around as soon as people from the media come here. This place is crowded till 6 pm and sometimes even 10 pm. They don't let the family eat, cook, take care of the children, or wash," he said.
'Love' Story or 'Spy' Story: People are Divided
Several residents of Rabupura are convinced that it was the couple's love that drove Seema to India. "This is a case of love. Even though the police are investigating if she (Seema Haider) is a spy, we can't say that their love is not true. Anything is possible," said Rakesh Sharma, who runs a kirana store in Rabupura.
Sachin's neighbour Harendra Singh, however, was not convinced.
"Tomorrow anybody will come and start staying here. The population is anyway on the rise. Do we have any security or not? No matter if they're right or wrong, Modi government should send them back to Pakistan. Tell me who will keep people like these in their country?" he asked.
Conversion, Deportation and More
Seema had earlier told The Quint that she accepted Hindu religion when the couple got married at the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal in March 2023.
"I have accepted Hinduism and named my children Raj, Priyanka, Munni and Pari," she had said.
Rinku Thakur, a resident of Greater Noida, said that it was important for Seema to convert to Hinduism.
"Let's say she stays as a Muslim...(Sachin) is a poor man. Tomorrow if she demands for a goat worth Rs 4,000-5,000 to be slaughtered, where will he get it from? How can you slaughter goats in a house where goddess Tulsi is worshipped?" Thakur asked as he stood outside Sachin and Seema's Rabupura home waiting for the couple to return.
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