A fresh case of alleged dowry harassment has come to light in the Odisha capital, with the wife of a fireman constable accusing him of prolonged mental and physical cruelty.
The accused has been identified as Sarveshwar Hera, a fireman constable. His wife says the abuse did not begin recently. For more than six years after their marriage, she alleges, she was beaten, pressured for more dowry and subjected to constant threats.
The couple married in 2019 in Dhenkanal district. They have a five-year-old son. According to the complainant, her husband regularly demanded extra dowry, a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle, a Mahindra Thar and money to build a house. When the demands were not met, she says, he assaulted her.
The allegations grow graver. The woman claims that while she was five months pregnant, Hera beat and tortured her so severely that she lost the pregnancy. She further alleges that he warned her of serious consequences if she spoke about it to anyone.
In February, she says, the torture crossed every limit. She left for her parental home. Later she lodged a complaint at Nandankanan police station. She alleges that even after that, no visible action was taken against her husband.
Frustrated, she reached the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office on Friday and appealed for justice. Senior officers, she said, assured her that the matter would be inquired into and appropriate steps would be taken.
The case has once again drawn attention to how dowry-related complaints against serving personnel are handled when a woman says the first police station did not act.
