Bihar: Woman held hostage by husband's family rescued after sixteen years

Police rescued the woman based on complaint by her father alleging physical harassment since 2008.

Published on: Oct 6, 2024, 11:36:20 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Bihar police on Saturday rescued a woman who was allegedly held hostage and harassed by her husband's family for almost 16 years, reported India Today.

The woman was not allowed to meet her family or her children since 2008. (HT file)

Jahangirabad Mahila Thana police station in-charge, Shilpa Kaurav, said the woman, identified as Ranu Sahu, was rescued after a complaint from her father, Kishan Lal Sahu. She was also rescued with the help of a local non-governmental organisation (NGO).

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Her neighbours reportedly informed Kishan Lal that her physical condition had begun deteriorating due to constant harassment from her husband's family.

The woman's family hails from Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh. Police said the woman was married in 2006 and was kept isolated from her family. Her in-laws allegedly did not allow her to meet her family since 2008, adding that she also faced constant harassment from her husband and his family members. The victim was allegedly isolated even from her son and daughter, her father claimed.

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Crime against women in Bihar

According to the Bihar Economic Survey report, the number of cases registered and disposed of related to crimes against women increased by 13.05% and 19.7% respectively in 2021-22, when compared to the previous year.

"Out of all cases in 2021-22, complaints are highest for domestic violence (4,889) followed by dowry harassment (787), sexual harassment (116), child marriage (24) and human trafficking (12),” noted the report.

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The state government has been operating the Sakhi Centre as a one-stop destination to avail state government services. Officials had said the increased crime rate might be due to an increase in reporting of crimes as more women are coming forward to register complaints with Sakhi Centres.

Tejashwi Yadav blames Nitish Kumar

On August 16, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav blamed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his alleged failure to check crimes in the state. He alleged that crimes against women in the state have been increasing.

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