No amount would satisfy my in-law’s hunger

Asgari’s saga of torture began from the second day of her marriage. Her parents could not meet the frequent demands for money. “No amount would satisfy their hunger, nor would they stop from inflicting pain and agony on me,” Asgari recollects with tears in her eyes.

It started with abuses then transformed into physical torture. In her FIR (number 974/97) registered at Paschim Vihar Police Station, she stated that she was beaten up with iron rods, sickle, axe and was burnt with a smouldering log of wood. Her in-laws even declared her “possessed”, saying that she had the shadow of evil spirits on her.

She reached her father’s house, on her first visit after marriage in January ’95, with her head wrapped in bandages and her scars on her body. Initially, she did not utter a word against her in-laws. She had apparently been threatened by her in-laws to hush up the matter. It was only after being persistent questioned by her parents that she told them that she had been hit on the head by a sickle. “My sisters-in law (husband’s elder brother’s wife and sister) tried to kill me saying that I had not brought enough dowry,” recalls Asgari.

When she returned to Bihar a month later, she was kept hungry for days together and was not even spared even during her pregnancy. She was even forced to drink poison and was repeatedly threatened that she would be killed if she gave birth to a girl. To her `good luck’, a son was born, though the delivery was not normal. The child was anaemic and weighed only 1.1 kg. Further complications landed the the baby in the hospital’s `extra-care’.

Her elder brother, Imran, recounts: “I went to Asgari’s house after receiving a telegram from my cousin who had gone to visit her. When I reached the place I could not believe my eyes. The once healthy and plump girl was unbelievably weak and could barely walk or talk.” The day he brought Asgari to Delhi, there was a bomb explosion in Karol Bagh and that had thrown things into total chaos at the hospital. “We spent that night on the footpath and it was early morning before she was seen by a doctor,” Imran said.

Suspecting lymphatic malignancy (cancer), Asgari was referred to AIIMS where she was diagnosed as having TB and not cancer. Considering the family’s financial condition, Asgari was given free treament at Lala Ram Swaroop Memorial Hospital.

Meanwhile, Imran registered an FIR at Paschim Vihar Police Station in November ’97 and Assistant Sub-Inspector Kartar Singh was given charge of the case. The ASI is presently undergoing training at Jhadodakalan.

Moreover, the ASI, alleges Imran, tried to dismiss the case. When contacted by Express Newsline, Singh said that he was waiting for the victim to get well so that she could go with him and bring her things back from her husband’s house.Five months have elapsed since the FIR was filed and the police are yet to visit Asgari to take down her statement. Imran has approached the National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for Women (NCW). The NCW has put up the matter in a Patiala House court and presently the case is under Additional District and Sessions Judge Mamta Sehgal. According to Imran, Sehgal had called Asgari on April 15, questioned her and asked them to wait further. Asgari has also filed for reclaiming her dowry.