HYDERABAD: For women who do not know whom to turn to for help in distress, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan is now a beacon of hope. At a Mahila Darbar conducted at Raj Bhavan on Monday, Jayanthi sought the Governor’s help to find out where her 23-year-old daughter K Anusha is.
Teary-eyed Jayanthi told the Governor that Anusha was kidnapped from Malakpet in the city in October, 2021 by three persons while she was at work. She also said that she immediately lodged a complaint with the Chaderghat police but the buck stopped there. There has been no development and she does not know whether she would be able to see her daughter again.
Pleading for justice for her daughter, Jayanthi said: “I am afraid that they will sell my daughter to some brothel.” Moved by her tragic tale of agony, the Governor directed the legal counsel present at the Darbar to hand over Anusha’s case to the CBI.
Like Jayanthi, several other women participated in the second Mahila Darbar, listing out their grievances.
There were a total of 41 women seeking legal aid to fight their cases, and the Governor assured them of providing free legal assistance with the help of the Centre for Practicing Law and the Hyderabad District Legal Services Authority.
She also extended financial assistance to three needy women from her discretionary funds and handed over the cheques to them. National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma joined the Governor during the interaction.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said that the Mahila Darbar interaction was aimed at offering help to the needy women and not intended to create any controversy. “There were many women with various problems. We are sorting out the petitions, and those that require the government’s attention, we have forwarded the same to the government for speedy redressal,” she added.
‘Our in-laws have thrown us out’
SARAH (name changed) was there to seek justice for herself and other friends of hers, struggling with the same issue. All of them are waiting for their husbands to return who are staying in Saudi Arabia for the last seven years. “Our in-laws have kicked us out of the house. Our husbands neither come here nor call us,” a girl said.
Accompanied by her sister-in-law, Mehroon (name changed) told the Governor that she married a AC technician a year ago but he now refuses to accept her as her family was not able to fulfil his demand of a two-wheeler as a dowry. Assuring the women of all necessary help within the given limitations, Soundararajan told them not to worry as she was with them. Referring to the traditional Bonalu festival celebrations, she also stated that the women will have the blessings of the Goddess Mahankali amma.