Bihar: Woman locked up in bathroom for three years for dowry in Darbhanga

Darbhanga In a shocking case of human cruelty, a 25-year-old married woman was allegedly kept confined here in a bathroom for the last three years by her husband and in-laws for not meeting their dowry demands, police said on Monday.

The victim was rescued yesterday by police from a house in Rambagh locality of Darbhanga town, around 140 km north east of Patna, they said on Monday.

The Women Police Station SHO Seema Kumari found her in tattered clothes, unkempt dry hair and with overgrown nails. "The woman could barely open her eyes in the sunlight, as she had survived in darkness and dim light, closeted in the small space. Though married, she had neither vermillion on her head nor 'bindi' on her forehead," Kumari said.

"The woman revealed that she was thrown into the bathroom and locked there. She was not allowed to see her child, and given leftover food irregularly. It was as if her in-laws were seeking revenge for not bringing ample dowry and giving birth to a girl child," the SHO said.

The woman hails from Patsan village in Andrathadi police station area in Darbhanga district. She was married to a Prabhat Kumar Singh in 2010. Soon after the marriage, her husband and in-laws allegedly started torturing her for more dowry, police said.

The torture increased when the dowry demands were not met and peaked when she gave birth to a girl child. "She was never allowed to go to meet her parents. When her relatives visited Darbhanga to meet her, they were dissuaded or shooed away. She was also barred from interacting with anybody from outside," Kumari said.

"She immediately asked for her three-year-old daughter and wept inconsolably when the child could not recognise her," the SHO said.

The woman was rescued after much effort by her father Shyam Sundar Singh, who had finally complained to Darbhanga SSP Kumar Ekle, who in turn instructed the woman inspector to pursue the case immediately. The police has registered an FIR against the women's husband, father-in-law Dhirendra Singh and mother-in-law Indra Devi and has taken them into custody.