In a first, police have filed an FIR against a man, his father and other family members after the man¡¯s wife alleged that she was given divorce multiple times and forced to consummate the marriage with other men, including her father-in-law, as part of the nikah halala practice.
Based on the woman¡¯s complaint, police on Tuesday night booked her father-in-law for rape and also filed a case against her husband and other members of his family for harassment and other offences.
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The woman told TOI, ¡°I got married to my husband, a driver by profession, in July 2009, and lived at Surkha Raja Chowk mohalla under Premnagar police station. Since I couldn¡¯t give birth to a child, my husband and in-laws started abusing and torturing me. On February 15, 2011, my husband gave me an instant triple talaq in the presence of the family members.¡±
¡°I asked him where I would go, because my father was dead and mother lived with my brothers, who had their own responsibilities. My husband and in-laws then told me to go through nikah halala with my father-in-law. I refused, so they began beating and starving me. They also started giving me narcotic injections. On July 1, 2011, they got me married with my father-in-law, who raped me several times before giving me triple talaq after 10 days,¡± the woman added.
¡°I was married to my husband again in November 2011, but my father-in-law continued raping me, while my husband beat me several times. I had to live in that hellish situation for six years. On January 4, 2017, my husband gave me triple talaq again," the woman said.
In February 2017, she lodged a complaint at a court here, but did not mention the rape, fearing for her social standing. Meanwhile, her in-laws asked her to get married to her brother-in-law through nikah halala, which she refused.
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¡°I have been living with my younger sister and her 14-year-old daughter at Garhi Chowki locality here since my mother and sister rescued me from my husband who had confined me in a room with no access to food for three days after giving me triple talaq second time,¡± the woman said. An embroidery artisan, she earns a meager Rs 50 a day.
¡°My husband wants me to do nikah halala with his younger brother. They are continuously giving me death threats, but this time I am determined to fight them and get justice,¡± the woman said.
Qila police station house officer, KK Verma said, ¡°Seven accused including the husband, his parents, a sister and three brothers were booked under 498A (dowry), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) and 120B (criminal conspiracy). The father-in-law has been booked under section 376 (rape) and the husband under 377 (unnatural sex) as well. Since the case relates to domestic violence and dowry charges, it has been sent to police counselling centre. If the case is not resolved within a fortnight, we will arrest the accused.¡±