Bandstand assault: Girlfriend pressured man to convert, say police

The police added that the accused, Akash Mukherjee, 23, denied of assaulting his girlfriend, Lubna Sukte, 28, and she injured herself after slipping on the rocks by the seaside

Mumbai: The Kalyan-based man, who was arrested for allegedly trying to kill his girlfriend at Bandstand, was pressured to convert to Islam so the couple could get married, the accused told the police.

On Wednesday, when Mukherjee was with Sukte, a resident of Bhiwandi, in Bandstand, other visitors caught Mukherjee as he was allegedly trying to kill his girlfriend by smashing her head against the rocks. He was handed over to the police the same night and was booked for an attempt to murder. (Image for representation)

The police added that the accused, Akash Mukherjee, 23, denied of assaulting his girlfriend, Lubna Sukte, 28, and she injured herself after slipping on the rocks by the seaside.

“He told us there was a lot of pressure on him from his girlfriend and her family to convert to Islam before the two of them could be married. He said this had angered and frustrated him. They also seemingly had another conversation on the topic on Wednesday evening,” said an officer from Bandra Police Station.

The officer added that Mukherjee claimed that he had told his girlfriend that he was ready to convert and would soon approach her family with documentary proof of the same.

“Regarding the assault on the woman, he told us that he had not attacked his girlfriend. He maintained that she had slipped on the rocks and injured herself,” added the officer.

On Friday, the accused was produced in court where he was remanded to police custody till June 6.