A 35-year-old woman in Haryana was forced to live in subhuman conditions for the past year and a half, locked in a toilet by her husband, in Rishpur village of Panipat district, authorities said.
The victim, a mother of three, was rescued from a very small and smelly bathroom by a team of district women and child welfare department officials on Wednesday. The rescued woman was first taken to the civil hospital and has now been handed over to her cousin.
After obtaining information that her husband was holding a woman captive, the district’s women’s protection officer, Rajni Gupta, arrived at the home with police officers and found the woman locked inside the toilet.
Gupta said the team found the woman lying on the toilet in a miserable state. During the investigation it was found that she was forced to live in subhuman conditions for the last year and a half.
“I was so weak that I couldn’t even walk; he ate 8 chapattis when we fed him, ”added Gupta. In captivity they were not even given adequate food and drinking water.
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The woman had been married to Naresh Kumar for the past 17 years and has three children, including a 15-year-old daughter and two 11 and 13-year-old sons.
Kumar claimed that his wife had mental health problems, but the welfare department official said the victim was able to identify all family members and answered all questions posed by the team.
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“Even her husband could not present the alleged document related to his treatment for mental illness,” Gupta added.
A case had been registered against the woman’s husband, Naresh Kumar, under sections 498 A and 342 of the IPC. The defendant has been arrested and is under investigation, according to Surender Dahiya, the manager of the Sanoli Police Station.
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