The Hindu : New Delhi News : Doctor held on dowry charge

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Friday, Jun 08, 2007
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New Delhi

Doctor held on dowry charge

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: A doctor posted at Safdarjung Hospital here has been arrested along with his father and elder brother on charges of demanding dowry and subjecting his wife to cruelty and criminal intimidation.

According to the police, 30-year-old Malti, a teacher with Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, has accused her husband Jwala Prasad and four other members of his family, including the doctor's mother and sister, of subjecting her to mental and physical harassment and even conspiring to eliminate her. Besides the doctor, his father Phool Singh, a retired school headmaster, and brother Inderpal have been arrested and sent to judicial custody.

"The complainant has accused her mother-in-law and sister-in-law of abusing her and beating her up. Since the accusations against the two are not serious enough, they have not been arrested so far," said a police officer.

Malti married Dr. Prasad on April 30, 2005. According to her, the two never got along well and their relations soured after her husband got admission to a post-graduate course.

"My husband and in-laws always taunted me for not bringing enough dowry. My status in the house was gradually reduced to that of a maid. My in-laws even tried to force me to go for a divorce. But I bore all this in the hope that my husband would mend his ways one day," alleged Malti.

Malti told the police that her in-laws had even hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her and made her write suicide notes on two occasions.

"They again made an attempt on my life on Wednesday night and I finally decided to report the matter to the police," said Malti.

However, a close relative of the doctor, Banarasi Das, alleged that she was acting under the influence of her brothers who had an eye on her money.

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