The Tribune, January 13, 2004

‘Woman given electric shocks for dowry’

Sirsa, January 13
A woman was tortured mentally and physically and subjected to electric shocks allegedly by her husband and in-laws for bringing insufficient dowry. Narrating her tale of woes from her Sirsa Civil Hospital bed, Raj Kaur, a Kuttabadh village in this district told reporters today that she was married to Santokh Singh of Haamad village falling under Fazilka in Punjab seven years ago.

She said that as her parents were poor and could not afford hefty dowry, her husband and in-laws took her to their house without the meagre dowry offered on the occasion of her marriage, under protest. She said that after her marriage her sufferings started but she did not reveal anything to her parents. She alleged that she used to be beaten after being tied with ropes and also subjected to electric shocks by her husband and the in-laws. In the meantime she gave birth to three children but her sufferings found no end.

Ultimately when her parents came to know about her plight, they convened many panchayats to sort out the matter but her husband and in-laws never cooperated and rather boycotted all panchayats. She alleged that a few days ago she was once again beaten up by them and when she became unconscious, she was thrown and abandoned in the biting cold in the fields of Manda village, 8 km away from Haamad village. She said that some passersby noticed her writhing in pain and informed her parents who brought her to Sirsa and got her admitted to the hospital. Her parents have informed the police about the matter. — PTI