HYDERABAD: In a shocking case of abuse, a woman’s nine-year-old twin daughters were abused by the former’s brother-in-law. The woman too was subjected to domestic abuse and dowry harassment for nearly 19 years.
The woman had approached a Sakhi Centre in Medchal in April for help. She told officials that her husband’s brother had abused her daughters several times since September last year.
In a testimony recorded by the Centre’s legal counsel, she said they had visited Guntur in Andhra Pradesh in September to attend her father-in-law’s funeral. Here, they had stayed in a penthouse for five days. One night, the woman’s brother-in-law walked in when the girls were alone.
He then proceeded to assault them. Alarmed by his behaviour, the girls tried to flee but their uncle promised them chocolates and bicycles in return for keeping quiet. The Sakhi Centre has now written to SHO, Osmania University Police Station and the Bharosa Centre to take immediate action in the matter.
The women later told police officials that her husband, a native of Guntur, was found impotent after marriage. After facing severe abuse for a decade, she got pregnant through sperm donation. The abuse, however, continued for a very long time. She had tried to file a case in Andhra Pradesh but couldn’t due to some reasons. After having had enough of the abuse, and after her daughters were assaulted, she decided she would walk out of the family.
“The woman approached the Centre in April. We have helped her file a domestic violence case. However, for the POCSO cases, we asked her to approach a police station near her place of residence. We write her a letter of reference for this purpose,” an official from the Sakhi Centre said.
The police are yet to lodge a complaint. “The complaint was given by the grandfather of the girl, who got a letter from the Sakhi Centre, along with a statement recorded by the legal counsellor there. Since the statement was a photocopy, we requested them to get the same. After that, we will lodge an FIR irrespective of the place or time of offence,” said SHO, OU Police Station.