Tragic Love Affair Results in Family Massacre and Death Sentence

In 2008, a horrifying incident shook Bawankhedi village in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha district. Shabnam, a woman from the Saifi Muslim community, claimed her family was murdered by unknown assailants. However, an investigation revealed that she and her lover, Salim, had killed seven members of her family, including a ten-month-old baby. Shabnam and Salim were both sentenced to death in 2010, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2015. They are currently on death row, awaiting their execution. If Shabnam is executed, she will be the first woman in Independent India to be hanged for a crime. Shabnam’s family’s property is reportedly one of the biggest estates in Bawankhedi village. With Shabnam’s son born out of wedlock and unlikely to claim the property, it has become a bone of contention between her extended family members. Despite the court verdict, according to Shabnam’s lawyer, she still has some legal remedies left to her. Shabnam and Salim can only be hanged after they have exhausted all their legal recourses.