Husband of biker and activist Sana Iqbal, who died in a car crash on Tuesday, refuted her family’s allegations that he killed her in a “pre-planned” and “cold-blooded murder”.
According to a report by The News Minute, Abdul Nadeem told the police that he and his wife had disputes over her hobby of cross-country bike riding.
The meeting between us was actually intended to patch up things and start a new life.Abdul Nadeem
Speaking to The Times of India, he said although he and Iqbal had had differences, she was his wife and it was more than a loss for him.
On Wednesday, the Hyderabad-based activist’s mother had alleged that it wasn’t an accident and that Iqbal was murdered by her husband.
Iqbal’s mother Shaheen Khan suspects that her husband hit her with something heavy before ramming the car. She said Nadeem and his mother had been harassing Iqbal for money since the marriage took place three years ago.
Shaheen alleged that Nadeem used to visit the house and force Sana to accompany him by creating a scene. When she returned from work at 1:30 am on Tuesday, Nadeem, who was waiting near the house, asked her to join him for a drive.
Sana initially refused, but when he allegedly threatened to create a scene, she accompanied him, leaving their son with her sister.
He might have made an assessment of Narsangi area to execute his plan as nobody would be there and it will be dark.Shaheen Khan
The police, however, maintained that it was a road accident.
As per the preliminary investigation, it was a road accident. There was no suspicion over it. Her husband has also suffered severe injuries after their car hit the median and turned turtle.Vishwa Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Madhapur zone), to PTI
Prasad, however, added that the police would verify the allegations made by Iqbal's mother.
'Life in Danger’
Last month, Iqbal had sent a messaged to some of her friends and family members, purportedly saying her life was in danger and that her husband and in-laws should be held responsible in case she died of a heart attack or a brain stroke, Narsingi Police Station Inspector GV Ramana Goud said.
However, he added:
There may have been some dispute between Iqbal and her husband. The message was sent at that time, and it has no connection with the road accident.
On Tuesday, at approximately 4am in the morning, Iqbal had met with an accident while traveling with her husband Nadeem. She succumbed after severe head injuries at a nearby hospital. Her husband, Nadeem, sustained rib injuries, and is still recuperating.
The accident took place at Narsingi Gandipet road in Hyderabad.
Iqbal’s Fight For the Depressed
A well-known name in the biker community, Iqbal was famous for her 38,000-km solo ride to spread awareness on suicide and depression across the country.
A motivational speaker, she addressed several Tedx Talks, speaking on topics ranging from biking and depression to motherhood. Her efforts were aimed at bringing about a change in the lives of students, giving them hope that suicide is not the solution to overcome depression.
She took to biking in order to battle depression caused by the hardships in her life. She had been riding bikes since a tender age, but did not take it up seriously till late 2015 when she set on her cross-country trip on her white Royal Enfield Electra named Arkadash that had a placard reading: “Solo ride across India by a woman on bullet to raise awareness against suicide and depression. Suicide is not the solution.”
A Times of India article titled “I Wanted To Die On The Road” highlighted her efforts to spread awareness through her tours.
Why people tend to commit suicide under depression is because they think about the problem rather than coming up with the solution.Sana Iqbal
(With inputs from PTI and IANS.)
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