Startling case of marital abuse.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: It’s a common complaint from many a newly-wed bride from India who accompanies her spouse to the United States, start a new life: a quick sense of disillusionment and loneliness follows, forced to do only domestic chores as a work permit is not available if on a H4 visa, and worse, in some cases, domestic abuse with nobody to turn to for self.
But there’s always an exception to the rule, as a report in The Times of India makes it amply clear: it’s not just some newly-wed brides who get cheated of their hopes and then get exploited, it’s men too who can face the same ordeal.
In an unusual report coming from Jaipur, Rajasthan, the father of a man narrates a harrowing ordeal that his son went through in the US after he met and married a woman.
The Times report said a textile businessman’s son from Jaipur had to languish in a jail in America for nearly five months after he was framed in an alleged fake case by his wife and her mother.
The youth, whose name was given only as Gaurav, was allegedly extorted and forced to work as a domestic help by his wife and mother-in-law and when he protested, he was framed in a fake case. He remained in a jail for nearly five months before he was found not guilty by a court there.
The victim’s father who didn’t want to be named said that his son Gaurav worked at a jewelry store in New York before he married an NRI woman living in ‘Randolph’. It was not specified in which state the town is located.
The victim’s father was quoted as saying: “After the marriage, the woman and her mother asked him to come and stay with them in Randolph. He left his job in New York and started living with his wife at her house. Soon after the marriage, the mother-daughter duo started harassing Gaurav forcing him to pay the mortgage on their house. They also forced him to work as a domestic help. They threatened to register a case of domestic violence if he didn’t their financial and other demands. Domestic violence is a very serious offence in America. However, Gaurav had to finally leave them. Before they got separated, a daughter was born from the marriage.”
He said that on the second birthday of their daughter on July 30, Gaurav came to his wife’s house to present birthday gifts to the child.
“When he reached their house, the mother-daughter duo accused Gaurav of domestic violence and called the cops. He was placed under custody and remained in jail till November 28,” said the father.
According to the report, it was only with the help of some US-based social activists from Rajasthan, including Prem Bhandari, media chairman of the Rajasthan Association of North America, who fought the case legally, that the case against the victim got dismissed, and he was freed from jail.
Bhandari was quoted as saying: “When I got the details of the case, I immediately realized that Gaurav had been framed. I arranged legal help and tried to provide other logistic help to save an innocent man from languishing in jail for no reason.”
He added: “This case is certainly an eye opener for those Indians who get married in the USA without checking the credentials of their future life partner.”
1 Comment
Randolph is in NJ just across the Hudson river from New York City.