Dalit woman alleges dowry harassment, caste bias

27-yr-old victim lodges complaint against husband, in-laws

A 27-year-old Dalit woman has filed an FIR against her husband and in-laws alleging caste discrimination and dowry harassment, the Noida police said.

The complainant, Shikha, had fallen in love with her colleague, Deepak Sharma. The couple had tied the knot in June 2013. The woman belongs to a Scheduled Caste while the husband belongs to an upper caste.

According to the complaint registered on November 2, at the time of the wedding, Shikha’s parents gave a car, lot of furniture and valuables as gift to the couple. However, her in-laws were not satisfied with it and started harassing her for dowry.

The in-laws allegedly did not allow her to enter the kitchen because she belonged to a lower caste and some time later they asked her to shift to a rented apartment promising to pay its rent. However, they did not give the money and finally the woman had to pay it from her own salary, said the complaint.

‘Forced to pay’

On one instance, the woman alleged, she was forced by her in-laws to withdraw ₹55,000 from her account. While the money has still not been repaid, Shikha in her complaint said her husband told her that money had been used for the house.

The complainant’s husband allegedly rammed the car, their wedding gift, into a divider in a fit of rage following a fight, the woman claimed. The vehicle is at a service centre and the cost of repair is estimated at ₹1 lakh, Shikha added.

Following the allegations, a complaint was filed at the Mahila police station against the husband and the in-laws and an FIR was registered under Sections 323, 498A, 406 of the Indian Penal Code and Dowry Prohibition Act and also under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.