synopsis
A Saharanpur court has ordered a criminal complaint against a woman's in-laws for allegedly injecting her with an HIV-infected syringe over unmet dowry demands.
A Saharanpur court has directed the Uttar Pradesh police to file a criminal complaint against the in-laws of a 30-year-old woman, who alleged that she was injected with an HIV-infected syringe after her parents failed to meet additional dowry demands. Following the court's order, police have registered an FIR against the accused family members.
Saharanpur SP (rural) Sagar Jain confirmed the development, stating, "The victim is a resident of Saharanpur. We have lodged an FIR against her husband (32), brother-in-law (38), sister-in-law (35), and mother-in-law (56) under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder), 498A (cruelty against woman by husband or his relatives), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 328 (causing harm by administering poison), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and relevant dowry sections at Gangoh police station. We are probing the case minutely."
Dowry Demands and Alleged Abuse
According to police, the woman's father informed the court that she was married in February 2023, and the family had spent nearly Rs 45 lakh on the wedding. "We gave a sub-compact SUV and Rs 15 lakh in cash to the groom's family, but they later demanded an additional Rs 10 lakh and a bigger SUV," he stated.
He further alleged that his daughter was subjected to harassment from the very first day of marriage. "They (victim's in-laws) started harassing her immediately after the wedding day. They humiliated my daughter and even told her that they would get another wife for their son. She was kicked out of her marital home on March 25, 2023, and for the next three months, she lived with us until the village panchayat intervened. Thereafter, she was sent back to her husband's house, and soon she was again subjected to physical and mental torture," he said in the police complaint.
Horrific Allegations of Forced HIV Infection
In May 2024, the in-laws allegedly injected the woman with an HIV-infected syringe, causing her health to deteriorate rapidly. Subsequent medical tests confirmed her HIV-positive status, while her husband tested negative, the father claimed.
The woman’s father also alleged that when he initially approached Gangoh police station to file a complaint, Station House Officer (SHO) Rogent Tyagi asked them to "first get orders from higher authorities." Even after approaching Saharanpur SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan, no action was taken, he said.
With no other recourse, the family moved the court, which has now directed the police to take action. SHO Tyagi has refuted the allegations made against him.
The case is currently under investigation.