On Sunday, Nawazuddin Siddiqui held a press conference in Delhi to address the harassment claims made by his sister-in-law, Afreen, against him and his family. Excerpts:

'I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CASE ONLY BECAUSE IT WOULD MAKE HEADLINES'
Addressing the press, the actor said, “Jaise usne (Afreen) bataya, waisa kuch hua hi nahin tha,“ adding that all this is happening because he's a “soft target“, being an actor. “Had this happened with a common man, it would not have made headlines. The truth is that she never faced any issues in our family, she has always been happy ever since she got married. Kuch na kuch ilzaam lagane ke liye ek toh dowry ka hota hai, do-teen aur aise cliches hote hain, 88% cases false hote hain. I got pulled into this as they knew involving me would immediately make news. Chhote gaon ke log sheheron ke log se bhi aur samajhdar hote hain, smart hote hain,“ he said.

'EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 28 IS ON CAMERA'
It has been alleged that CCTV cameras at his home were switched off on the day of the incident, but the actor says that is not the case. “My sister-in-law's uncle and his wife planned to rob our home, and they thought that the cameras would be off, but thankfully, the CCTV cameras were on and everything that happened on September 28 was captured. My sister-in-law's uncle used to often ask my brother for money, and recently, my brother refused to give him any. As a result, they planned to rob our home. They would come to our home every day, but this time, they came with a proper plan in hand. Thankfully, the CCTV cameras were on, main toh gaya tha varna,“ said Nawazuddin. He added, “They have alleged that I kicked the woman, but CCTV footage is proof that I didn't even touch her. Also, they said that when we were beating them, they screamed and all our neighbours came out of their homes. When they were running away with the potli (with the stolen jewellery), except for family members, nobody was there. I can only talk about what has been mentioned in the complaint, the police is investigating and doing their job.“ The actor also said that around Rs 15,000 in cash and some gold jewellery are missing from his house.

'THEY ARE STILL OUR RELATIVES, SO I WANT TO REACH SOME KIND OF SETTLEMENT SOON'
Nawaz said that even though the police is involved now and the case is in the news, he is open to an out-of-court settlement. “They are our relatives, so we never thought of taking the matter to the police. Humare yahan kitne bhi bade ladai ya jhagde hote hain, ya kisi bhi tarah ki koi baat ho jaye, buzurg log baith ke sort kar lete hain. Despite the matter being publicised, I still would call them our relatives, I would want her (Afreen) to come back, and I'll try to reach an out-of-court settlement. The police is investigating the case, and whatever they conclude, I'll agree with that. Do din settlement ki hi baat chal rahi thi. I want to reach some kind of settlement soon, because my brother and sister-in-law's relationship is also at stake,“ he said.

NAWAZ AND FAMILY DENYING HARASSMENT CHARGES, SAY IT'S A PLOY: MUZAFFARNAGAR POLICE
“We received the complaint letter and have started the investigation. Since this is a domestic dispute, we haven't filed an FIR yet, and are waiting for the findings of the preliminary inquiry to do that. Since the complainant claims that she is married to Nawazuddin's brother, we have asked her to furnish proof of that. Additionally, we have conducted a medical examination of her to verify her claims that she is pregnant, and whether Nawazuddin tried to harm her pregnancy by assaulting her or not. The result of that test is awaited. Witnesses are being questioned by the station officer at Budhana, under whose jurisdiction the matter falls. As far as we know, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is not in Muzaffarnagar at the moment, and hence we haven't been able to question him. We are waiting for him to return.“ - Rakesh Kumar Jolly, SP (RA), Muzaffarnagar

“Nawazuddin's family claims that nothing of this sort happened, and that this is a ploy by the girl to malign them as she and Minaazuddin have been having marital troubles. We are talking to the Siddiquis' neighbours in order to construct a chain of events.The complainant claims that CCTV footage was either destroyed or not recorded, but the accused, say that they have footage to back their claim. Once we examine the footage they provide, we will be in a better position to proceed with the investigation.“ - Budhana SO, DK Tyagi

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR ABOUT THE CASE
On September 30, Afreen, the wife of Nawazuddin Siddiqui's brother Minaazuddin, filed a complaint against the actor and his family at a police station in Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, alleging that they tortured her and harassed her for dowry.

The complainant says that on the night of September 28, her husband Minaazuddin entered her room along with his brothers Nawazuddin, Faizuddin, Mazuddin and their father Nawabuddin, forcing her to leave their house. According to Afreen, when she asked her in-laws to give her some time, they dragged her out of the room and assaulted her. Hearing the commotion, their neighbours gathered and some one called Afreen's uncle who lives in Muzaffarnagar.

She has alleged that Nawaz and his family switched off CCTV cameras at their home and abused her, and that the abuse has been happening ever since she married the actor's younger brother earlier this year. She has said that Minaazuddin forces himself on her, and when she objects, he beats her. The police have registered a case of abuse and dowry harassment against the whole family.

Afreen has further alleged that she is pregnant and Minazuddin's family told her to get an abortion. She also said that the actor kicked her in the stomach knowing that she was three months pregnant. She has also claimed that Nawazuddin threatened her by flaunting his proximity to UP CM Akhilesh Yadav.

On Sunday evening, Minaazuddin filed a counter-complaint against Afreen and her uncle and aunt, alleging that the trio tried to steal from their house on the night of September 28, which led to an altercation. The Siddiquis also claim that Afreen is trying to divert attention from her alleged crime by raising a non-existent dowry issue.

Budhana SO DK Tyagi says, “We have received a complaint from Minaazuddin that his wife and her relatives tried to steal some unspecified items from the Siddiquis' home on the night of September 28. No FIR has been filed. We are investigating this.“