Usually it is women who complain of domestic violence. But in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan, a man has filed a case of harassment against his wife, saying that she had repeatedly taunted him for being dark skinned.
The victim, Sumit, is a resident of Srivijaynagar in Sriganganagar district, about 460 km north of Jaipur. The man approached a local court seeking to file a case against his wife, Surmati, for mental, physical and financial harassment. He said his wife left home a month back and took money and jewellery with her.
In his complaint, Sumit said that he got married to Surmati around 20 months back and the couple have a daughter.
He said that from very the beginning, Surmati used to taunt him for being dark skinned. She remained unhappy with him and threatened to leave home several times.
Sumit said he had not taken any dowry during the marriage and has tried to keep his wife happy. But alleged that she has constantly taunted him and fought with him.
He said Surmati also took Rs 50,000 from him for treatment of her brother who was injured in an accident some time back. However, his in-laws are refusing to return the money.
Sumit said he had approached the local panchayat to settle the matter. There, Surmati and her family assured that she would stay peacefully with Sumit. However, she soon returned to her old ways.
Sumit said that on February 11, his wife's father and brothers had come to visit. Surmati cooked dinner for everyone, and Sumit alleges that she laced his food with some additive that made him unconscious. He said Surmati’s father and brothers had abused him and beat him up and his wife left their home with Rs 25,000 in cash and some jewellery.
Srivijayanagar police said they have filed a case and are investigating the matter.
