A marriage, which was once hailed as a symbol of communal harmony in India, is on the brink of breaking. Tina Dabi, first Dalit woman to have topped the Union Public Service Commission examination (2015 batch), and husband IAS Athar Amir Khan from Kashmir, have filed for divorce with mutual consent in a family court in Jaipur.
The two apparently came together during their training period at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy for Administration in Mussoorie and later tied the nuptial knot. Their wedding had grabbed the limelight and was the talk of the nation for more than one reason.
In 2015, Tina had ranked first and Athar was second. Their marriage had taken place in Kashmir and invited opinions from all public quarters. Their nuptials had received massive support and at the same time, it was criticised. Many people hailed their wedding as a symbol of communal harmony. Rahul Gandhi had congratulated the IAS couple and had tweeted, "May your love grow from strength to strength and may you be an inspiration to all Indians in this age of growing intolerance and communal hatred. God bless you."
The Dabi and Khan journey
It was at a felicitation ceremony in North Block's DoPT office and they had clicked instantly. On successful completion of their training, both got the Rajasthan cadre of the IAS. Tina belongs to Madhya Pradesh's capital city Bhopal and Athar is from the restive Kashmir. She went on to study political science at the reputed Lady Shri Ram College and Athar did his engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in Mandi.
The two were sent to the same city in Rajasthan but Tina later moved to Sri Ganganagar as Chief Executive Officer, Zila Parishad. Athar was posted to Jaipur as the CEO of Zila Parishad.
Social media setback
The two have been a social media favourite constantly and have eyes on them and their relationship. It was recently reported that Tina had removed 'Khan' from her surname on social media and Khan had unfollowed her on Instagram. These happenings gave a clear signal that the couple was experiencing a rough patch.
Twitter reacted to the news and had mixed reactions. A user wrote, "Heart goes out to Tina Dabi and Athar Khan who seem to be headed for a divorce. Inter caste and interfaith couples have it so much harder. Half the world praying for their failure, the other half cheering them on as social revolutionaries whose marriage is bigger than love itself."
This has also put the spotlight on 'Love Jihad'.
A Twitter user posted, "At one end: Congress party, which manufactured Saffron Terror, is now saying BJP manufactured 'Love Jih@d' word. At other end: IAS toppers Tina Dabi & Athar Khan file for divorce in Jaipur's family court. Now don't link these events & call me a Communal."
While some are against dragging religion in this but there are many who are trying their best to ignite a communal hue.
