Dowry harassment victim in Vizag assured of support

Andhra Pradesh Women Commission Chairperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari visited the King George Hospital in Vizag on Thursday and met a six-month-pregnant woman, who was allegedly assaulted over dowry. Rajeswari (24), a resident of NAD junction in the city, was reportedly attacked by her husband Damodar and mother-in-law Lalitha, who planned to take her to a hospital to abort her pregnancy unless she paid an additional dowry to bear a child.

Rajakumari condemned the act upon meeting the victim and said that strict action would be taken against the accused. She assured the victim that the Women and Child Welfare department would take care of the baby. Rajeswari would be given a government job after the completion of her treatment at the hospital, Rajakumari informed.

Rajeswari’s brother has alleged that she was forced to have an abortion earlier too. She was allegedly given tablets for the same. Reportedly, the woman suffered injuries on her hands and legs after being assaulted by her husband and mother-in-law. With the help of the locals, she managed to lodge a complaint against them at a local police station. The police in Vizag then registered cases against Damodar and Lalitha, in Vizag, under Sections 498(A), 324 and 506 of the IPC and Section 34 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

Following the case registration, the police arrested the accused, who have been sent to judicial remand after being presented in front of a local magistrate on Thursday. Currently, they are being held in the Visakhapatnam Central Jail.