Man, Family Charged For Torturing Woman Over 'Girl Child, Dark-Skinned'

A man and seven members of his family have been charged for allegedly torturing his wife after she gave birth to a baby girl, the police in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai said today.

The man and his family were also unhappy that the baby had dark skin, a police officer said.

The child's mother, a 29-year-old, had married the man in February 2019. The couple lives in Navi Mumbai's Kamothe.

"In November 2019, the woman gave birth to a baby girl, after which her in-laws started taunting and harassing her. They said they wanted a boy, and not a girl, who is also dark-skinned. They kept harassing her mentally and physically," the officer said, quoting the woman's complaint.

The man and his family also demanded Rs 10 lakh to buy a car. She and her baby were then forced out of the house. She has been living with her parents since then.

In the complaint, the woman said her in-laws have asked her husband to marry another woman and he threatened to kill their daughter.

The man and his family face a case under the Indian Penal Code over alleged dowry harassment.