A Muslim woman, who refused to accept talaq from her husband over the phone, was assaulted and attacked with acid by her in-laws in Neuria area of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

A Muslim woman who refused to accept triple talaq from her husband over the phone was attacked with acid on Saturday allegedly by her in-laws in Neuria area of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh.

According to a report in The Times of India, the victim Rehana Hussain, who is in her 40s, married her husband Matlub 18 years ago. Rehana and Matlub moved to the United States, but the marriage soon soured.

In 2011, Matlub and Rehana returned to India, but Matlub soon decided to take up a job abroad. Later, Rehana received a phone call from her husband who told her he was divorcing her, but she refused to accept it, The Times of India reported.

DNA reported that Rehana's in-laws allegedly assaulted her and threw acid on her to make her leave their home. Rehana filed a complaint with the Uttar Pradesh police, who began investing the matter and registered an FIR against five people.

"They should be punished for what they did. I want them to be in jail," Rehana said. "She has received burn injuries on her back. We are waiting for the medical report," a police officer said, DNA reported.

Last week, a married woman staged a dharna in Aligarh after her husband pronounced triple talaq and threw her out of their home.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a strong pitch against triple talaq, insisting the exploitation of Muslim women should end and justice be done to them. He, however, deprecated any attempts at creating a "conflict" within the Muslim community on the issue and suggested tackling it through social awareness.

Striking a defiant posture on the contentious issue of triple talaq, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday asserted that Muslims have the "constitutional" right to follow their personal law. On the Babri Masjid issue, AIMPLB General Secretary Maulana Wali Rehmani said the board would accept the Supreme Court's decision on the matter while stressing that "no outside settlement was acceptable".

On the talaq issue, he said that the board has decided to issue a code of conduct and warned that those who give talaq (divorce) without 'Sharia' (Islamic law) reasons will face social boycott.

With inputs from agencies