A young woman in Uttar Pradesh died of suicide due to persistently being pressured by her Muslim boyfriend to convert to Islam and marry him according to Islamic traditions, officials said on Saturday.

According to the police, the woman and her boyfriend, identified as Shahrukh, both 24-years-old, were in a relationship and the man was consistently pressuring her to convert to Islam and marry him.

A senior official said the accused, Shahrukh, had allegedly told her that she had only two options—either convert and marry him or kill herself and avoid social humiliation. However, the young woman, vehemently defied her lover’s demand of converting to Islam and ultimately gave committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling hook in her house in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur on Wednesday.

Giving details, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Collectorganj) Tej Bahadur Singh said the deceased woman had come in contact with the accused a few years ago on social media where he used a Hindu name, Saurabh, for his profile.

The senior officer said that the victim’s father filed abetment of suicide case against Shahrukh wherein he accused the man of persistently harassing his daughter to convert to Islam and marry him as per Islamic rituals.

In his complaint, the deceased woman’s father alleged that the accused also had his daughter’s private photos and videos and used those to blackmail her to convert to Islam and marry.

Police said that a case was registered against Shahrukh under section 306 (Abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 3 and 5(I) of UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021, adding that he was arrested from Bhoosatoli, Harbansh-Mohal on Friday.

ACP Singh said the accused was produced before a court on Saturday from where he was sent to jail, to await trial.

Every month, both private and public banks are shut across the country for festivals and also weekends. Since May is almost around the corner, people who have banks visit planned are advised to check with the bank calendar to avoid any inconvenience.

In the fifth month of the year, banks will remain shut for 12 days in different states including second and fourth Saturdays and Sundays. Regional holidays are decided by the state governments.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has declared bank holidays on May 1, 5, 9, 16, 22, and 24 under the Negotiable Instruments Act. Additionally, there are also four Sundays in May on May 7, 14, 21, and 28 and the second and fourth Saturdays on May 13 and 27.

Important events like Labour Day, Maharashtra Day, Buddha Purnima, Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary, and Maharana Pratak Jayanti will fall in May 2023 which might affect bank-related works. However, people can still use ATMs to draw and deposit cash.

State-wise holiday list here

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will not be contesting Kolar assembly constituency, according to the third list of 43 candidates released by the Congress on Saturday for next month’s Karnataka Assembly elections.

Siddaramaiah, who is already contesting from Varuna constituency, earlier represented by his son, was seeking to contest Kolar assembly seat as the second constituency, but, as per the list, the Congress has fielded Kothur G Manjunath from the Kolar seat.

According to the list ex-BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi has been fielded from the Athani assembly seat while former Governor Margaret Alva’s son Nivedit Alva will contest from the Kumta assembly seat.

Laxman Savadi resigned from the BJP after being denied a ticket in the upcoming elections, joined the Congress on Friday.

An influential Lingayat leader in Belagavi district, Savadi resigned from the Legislative Council and the BJP on Friday and hours later joined the grand old party.

Congress which is seeking wrest from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming May 10 Assembly polls, has so far fielded candidates in 209 seats, including 124 seats in the first list and another 42 seats in the second list, with seats for 15 more candidates yet to be announced.

In its second list of 41 candidates, the Congress had also marked a seat for Sarvodaya Karnataka Party as the regional outfit’s Darshan Puttannaiah will contest from the Melukote assembly constituency in the poll-bound state.

The Congress, which seeks to oust BJP from power in Karnataka, recently claimed that the saffron party is facing a “mass exodus” in the poll-bound state.

Speaking at a presser earlier this month, senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had claimed having “authentic information” about the BJP being unable to choose its own candidates in the upcoming Karnataka elections due to a “mass exodus” taking place in the party.

Citing “authentic information”, Surjewala claimed that the BJP is not able to select candidates as the right-wing party’s ministers and MLAs are refusing to contest. He claimed that 10 BJP MLAs, MLCs, ex-MLAs and ex-MLCs, their boards and corporation chairmen have resigned in dozens and joined the Congress.

Karnataka goes to polls on May 10 and results for the 224-member Assembly will be announced on May 13.