Indore: Probe ordered into sexual abuse of pregnant woman

The Indore district court on Monday took cognizance over the ‘inhumane acts’ of a property broker and cable operator in Nadurbar district of Maharashtra, who forced his wife to drink alcohol during pregnancy, sexually abused and assaulted her, and tried to get rid of the baby girl born to them.

The Indore district court on Monday took cognizance over the ‘inhumane acts’ of a property broker and cable operator in Nadurbar district of Maharashtra, who forced his wife to drink alcohol during pregnancy, sexually abused and assaulted her, and tried to get rid of the baby girl born to them.

Judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) Rekha Chandravanshi, who ordered the police to probe the case of sexual assault and lodge a first information report (FIR), observed that the baby was born mentally unsound most likely due to the erratic behavior of the man during the pregnancy.

According to sources, the judicial magistrate first class had ‘rescued the woman and her child from her drunkard husband” after the police, administration, chief minister and the Prime Minister’s Office failed to respond to her pleas.

The judicial magistrate first class has ordered for a probe under the Domestic Violence Act.

According to the woman’s counsel, Bharat Raghuvanshi, a property broker and cable operator in Nadurbar district of Maharashtra, traumatised his wife by compelling her to drink alcohol. The counsel said the man also sexually exploited and assaulted her.

“This continued even when the woman was bearing a baby in her womb, which could have potentially led to the abnormal development of the baby in her womb,” said Kunhare.

Raghuvanshi and his family members also allegedly tried to kill the baby in the womb when they came to know about the “abnormality” in the sonography tests, he said.

However, the woman went ahead and gave birth to the baby girl in November 2012. He said the family members started ridiculing her for having given birth to an “abnormal” child.

In June 2013, the woman fled the house along with her child and came back to her parents in Indore, but threats from her husband and his family continued, he said.

She lodged complaints at the police station, appealed to the chief minister and wrote to the women and child development ministry and the Prime Minister Office, but no one responded to her appeals, said advocate Kashu Mahant, another counsel for the victim.