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NTV chief accused of assaulting daughter-in-law : Dr. Sharma refutes allegations
[ 2007-3-30 ]
By Indira Aryal
KATHMANDU, March 29: Jasmin Sharma, 27, a resident of Mali Gaon burst into tears amidst a gathering of journalists and rights activists Thursday accusing Dr. Benju Sharma, incumbent chairperson of Nepal Television of physical assault and mental torture.
Dr. Sharma, daughter of renowned litterateur Bhim Nidhi Tiwari dismissed the accusations leveled against her saying, "My daughter-in-law is trying to assassinate my character for no good reason."
Jasmin, however, narrated a different story and made repeated claims of being a subject of intimidation and torture.
"The Sharma family has been treating me like an outcaste, depriving me of food and even assaulting me physically for not yielding to their demand for more dowry," the commerce graduate told the media people at a press conference Thursday.
She said when she warned the family members that she would file a case at the court, Dr. Sharma tried to hush her up threatening her of dire consequences if she ever dared to act smart.
She claimed that over the past five years of her marriage she has had to face extreme torture, humiliation and physical assault over accusations of not being a descendent of a pure Brahmin clan.
"It all started growing unbearable after the Sharma family started resorting to repeated assaults nitpicking on the issue of dowry," she said adding, Dr. Sharma harassed her for not being able to convince her father for house, land and computer.
She went on to narrate her 'painful' story saying, " I never wanted to get married that early, but my mother-in law used to pay regular visits to my house proposing for my hand for her only son
Eventually, she agreed to get wedded to Juhar Raj Pandey, putting two preconditions ? that she be allowed to complete her MBA and pursue her career in banking.
After her nuptial knot was tied to Pandey, she discovered that she had been deceived. "I was told by Dr. Sharma that her son was a graduate, but later I came to know that he had only passed SLC."
Jasmin accused her husband of torturing her in a drunken fit for not yielding to her demands.
She said that the Sharma family barred her from studying further and pursuing her dream of working at a bank.
Jasmin lamented that the Sharma family also snatched all the ornaments that they had gifted her during her wedding no sooner the marriage entered the sixth month.
She said that her family members were blamed for stealing jewelry of her sister-in-law Junu Pandey, which she could not bear.
She said weeping, "I am a daughter from a well educated family and I cannot ever think about stealing things."
"The family members humiliated me and started checking my bag whenever I went out of the house."
Jasmin accused Dr. Sharma of not giving her any food during her periods. "Even my three-and-a-half years old son was deprived of food."
After the issue of purity of clan became intense, Dr. Sharma chose to prepare her food in a separate kitchen and gave me two potatoes and a handful of rice.
She claimed that she was forced to leave the house after the physical assault meted out against her exceeded the limit.
Jasmin left the Sharma family's house on March 24 and her parents admitted her at the Bir Hospital on the same day for treatment.
The doctor's report dated March 24 has stated that Jasmin was treated for physical assault.
The name of the attending doctor in the report is not clear. Doctors at the hospital could not inform The Rising Nepal about who had attended on Jasmin that day. But they did have Jasmin's case registered.
"When we reached Dr. Sharma's home in Mali Gaon after receiving a complaint we found the family members involved in a feud," the officer on duty at the Kamal Pokhari ward police office told The Rising Nepal.
"We arrested Juhar and locked him up for the night before handing him over to the Hanuman Dhoka Police," he said on condition of anonymity.
Juhar is still under police custody at Hanumandhoka. "We are still investigating on the case and have not arrived at a conclusion," Dhak Bahadur Karki, Senior Superintendent of Police said.
Jasmin said that she had filed complaints regarding the 'injustice' that she faced at the Hanumandhoka police office and various human rights organisations.
She has now got a job at the Nepal Bank Limited and plans to start working from coming Sunday.
Women rights activists present at the press conference warned that they would resort to strike if Jasmin was deprived of justice.
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