PILIBHIT: A 30-year-old farmer from Kheri district is losing hope in his fight to bring back his 23-year-old wife, who was allegedly sold by her father to a man in Sitapur for Rs 50,000 over nine months ago.
The farmer, a resident of Sandaura village, said his wife left for her parental home on June 10, 2024, while four months pregnant. He alleged that her father along with her mother and three other relatives, forcibly made her terminate the pregnancy at a private hospital. A few days later, they sold her to a man in Sitapur’s Tambor village against her will, said the farmer.
Following an order from the DGP, a case was registered on Tuesday evening at Isanagar police station against the woman’s parents and three others. The farmer alleged that police had earlier refused to file an FIR because his father-in-law was close to the village pradhan, who is a close relative of the local BJP MLA and “wields substantial political influence.”
He added that he had immediately filed a written complaint after learning about his wife’s “sale”, but police took no action. He claimed that the police officials at various levels whom he approached were “apathetic” to the issue, and the case was registered only after the DGP’s intervention. Police, however, have denied any political interference, stating that they have started the investigation.
SHO of Isanagar police station Devendra Gangwar said the case was filed under IPC sections 370 (trafficking of persons), 312 (intentionally causing a woman to miscarry), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 504 (intentional insult). Asked about the investigation, Gangwar said police confirmed that the woman is currently in Sitapur and she was summoned on Wednesday to record her statement, but she did not appear. She has been called again on Thursday, and further legal action will depend on whether she corroborates her husband’s allegations.
The farmer said he married his wife on Feb 21, 2023. He claimed that after learning about what happened to his wife, he confronted his father-in-law on June 25, 2024, only to be “abused and threatened with death”. He fears justice will remain out of reach due to his father-in-law’s political influence.
