KASARAGOD: 45 days after the District Police Chief received a complaint from a 35-year-old woman alleging dowry harassment from her husband and his family, the police have finally registered a case. The Nileshwar police on Saturday registered an FIR under Section 498 A of the IPC (domestic cruelty) based on the complaint filed by Payyannur native Sahana P V.
TNIE had on November 25 reported Sahana’s battle for justice and how a sub-inspector of Nileshwar station reportedly called up CPM leaders to thrash out a compromise instead of registering the FIR. Sahana had already moved the Family Court in Payyannur demanding maintenance from her husband Manoj Maniyeri, 42, said advocate M V Amareshan, who is fighting her legal battle.
Manoj, a native of Perole village in Nileshwar, is working as an ayurveda therapist in the UAE. The couple has a nine-year-old son with acute learning disabilities. Sahana said she left Manoj’s house with the son six years ago, after he and his parents and sister allegedly assaulted her, mocked the boy’s disabilities, and demanded more gold jewellery and money from her.
Even after her complaint stated that she was subjected to cruelty at her husband’s house, Sahana said the police asked her to adjust and return to his house.
I hope police will sincerely probe plaint, says Sahana
She was raised by a single mother, Vasumathi V P, by giving tuition to schoolchildren. Vasumathi died of intestinal cancer in July at the age of 65. Since then, Sahana has been on her own. She alleged the police did not act on her complaint because Manoj’s father Sukumaran Maniyeri was an influential CPM leader and a former branch secretary of the party.
On Saturday, Nileshwar police took Sahana’s statement and registered the FIR. The FIR says Manoj, his parents Sukumaran and Shyamala, and his sister Smitha used to subject Sahana to mental and physical cruelty demanding more gold and money and also used to mock her son’s disabilities. “Now, that the police have registered the FIR, I hope they will sincerely investigate the complaint and not succumb to political pressure,” she said.