Delhi:
A 21-year-old girl in Delhi has alleged that she was being harassed by her in-laws for dowry since the day of her marriage in February.
After her in-laws demanded Rs 8 lakh and a flat, Richa Arya was forced to move in with her parents in June.
Last week, she went back to collect her belongings. But a seven-month-pregnant Richa returned with a bleeding foot.
"I left my husband's place in June without taking any of my personal possessions. When I went for a medical check-up, my doctor asked for my prescriptions. My mother and I went to my in-laws' place at around 7:45 pm. But they weren't opening the door. So, I had to call the PCR for help," said Richa.
"They did open the door when the police ordered. But as I was about to step in, they tried to shut the door on me. My foot got stuck in the gap and I was screaming. This happened right in front of the police. Shockingly, instead of questioning them, the cops took my mother and me to the Shakarpur police station and made us sit there for three hours while my foot was bleeding," alleged Richa.
An MCA student in Northern India Engineering College, Richa was married to Pawan Arya on February 10, 2010. Pawan works with his father Dharmendra Arya in their own Offset Printing Factory in Noida.
Richa said her husband was against the idea of her going to college. She added: "I continued my college after leaving his house. But he used to send two persons to follow me. I had complained about this to the Delhi Commission for Women in July. Since then he has been harassing me to take back the complaint."
V K Gupta, Richa's father, claims that he had given an i10 car, jewellery and furniture worth over Rs 10 lakh in the marriage.
"My daughter had left all her belongings at their place. She got to know from the neighbours that all her personal possessions had been shifted elsewhere in a tempo by her father-in-law," Richa's mother alleged.
However, police claimed they had taken Richa to the police station because Pawan's family had lodged a complaint that Richa was making a ruckus outside their residence.