Indian woman seeks justice in US; alleges dowry-related torture
A newly married Indian woman has sent a distress call to the Indian Embassy in the United States seeking justice after her husband allegedly abandoned her without financial support. The woman—who hails from Bihar's Patna and reached the US in March—alleged her husband tortured her demanding dowry. She had also reached out to US State Department for help, but to no avail so far.
In her distress complaint to senior officials in the Indian government, the Indian embassy in Washington, and the consulate in San Francisco, Anamika (name changed) said, "My husband has abandoned me without any financial support. I have no place to go." "My parents in India sought help from my father-in-law, but he is demanding dowry to get me back in my husband's life."
Due to extreme torture, Anamika said the police had to be called at their apartment in McLean, Washington. "I was rescued by police due to his cruelty as my life was in danger," she told PTI, adding that her husband was violent and demanded dowry. The Fairfax County Police has registered a complaint against her husband and is treating it as a criminal complaint.
In her complaint, the victim, now staying at a relative's place in Seattle, revealed that she was forced by her husband to keep the door open while using the washroom. "When I used to go to the washroom, he used to make allegations that you are doing something to prevent pregnancy in the washroom, as there was no noise while using the washroom."
Anamika further said that her husband used to check her vagina to see whether she had used anything to prevent pregnancy. "Few times he checked the same by using his phone flashlight and a few times by using his finger and sometimes by wearing gloves."
Her husband who is staying there on an F-1 student visa and reportedly works at Freddie Mac denied the allegations. He claimed that he was framed falsely. But he did not respond to PTI's queries on whether he was still a student. First, he said he is a student at Maryland College Campus and then Baltimore campus, before hanging up the phone.
Anamika has approached several non-governmental organizations, many of them funded by India to address such cases of abuse. Due to the increase in such cases, India had earlier ordered its diplomatic missions in the US to establish special cells to address these cases. Meanwhile, South Asia Minorities Alliance Foundation said it will take up such cases with the relevant authority in the US.
