Imphal, July 30 2009: Despite enforcement of Dowry Prohibition Act, many married women in Manipur are being ill-treated by their in-laws for not bringing enough dowry, even to the extent where these poor women suffer mental breakdown from constant harassment and snide remarks of the in-laws.

Khoirom Sandhyarani of Lamding Elangbam Leikai is one such victim, who is crying for justice.

Following years of ill-treatment and harassment at the hands of her in-laws, Sandhyrani started experiencing mental breakdown and she was forcefully separated from her only child.

While making it clear that they cannot spare any money for her treatment, her in-laws also allowed Sandhyarani to go back to her maternal home for treatment.

But the news came of her husband marrying another woman.

Infuriated, local people of Sandhyarani had gone to stop the marriage, but could not.

Even the police were on the side of the husband, they alleged.

This information was revealed by mother of Sadhyarani, Khoirom Ongbi Prema and her elder brother Khoirom Rameshore during a press conference at Manipur Press Club here today.

According to them, the Keinya Katpa (handing over the girl by the parents without actual solemnisation of marriage) Sandhyarani was performed in 2004 along with one Paonam Shyamkanhai of Wangjing Wangkhei Kamni Paonam Leirak in 2004. As the family of Sandhyarani was very poor and her father too had died, her mother could not provide any dowry.

On account of that, her dowry demanding in-laws started ill-treating her at every given opportunities.

Even when Sandhyarani fell sick, she was left to her own fate.

During the post-natal period of giving her first son, the constant harassment of her in-laws was so intense that Sandhyarani started suffering from mental breakdown.

But her in-laws, instead of taking Sandhyarani to seek medical help, charged her with faking illness to degrade the reputation of the family in front of other people.

Finally, the mother of Sandhyarani decided to take up the responsibility of treating her daughter.

She brought Sandhyarani and her child to the maternal home.

But one day Shyamkanhai, the husband of Sandhyarani came fully drunk and after creating a scene took away the child.

From that particular incident, the illness of Sandhyarani also became more serious.

Even then her poor mother worked hard to ensure proper treatment and the condition of Sandhyarani has improved gradually over the last one and half months.

However, on July 29, the family of Sandhyarani got the news that her husband Shyamkanhai marrying another woman.

To stop the marriage, the family members have gone to the local police station to lodge.

But the police did not care to take up any action.

Subsequently, a group of people including Sandhyarani herself went to the house of her husband to express objection against the marriage before any settlement with her.

But the family members of Shyamkanhai beat up Sandhyarani so badly that she is being hospitalised.

Rameshore, elder brother of Sandhyarani, while informing that they would be taking the help of the Domestic Violence Act to seek justice for his sister, also drew the attention of the Manipur State Commission for Women in this regard.

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