By IANS,
Palanpur : Dilipsinh Thakore, former Gujarat minister of state for agriculture and animal husbandry, is in the eye of storm. His daughter-in-law Madhavi, 24, has filed a criminal case against him and his son Miteshbhai for causing untold mental agony and physical hardship to her for giving birth to a girl child.
Madhavi has also named her mother-in-law Jamnaben, three sister-in-laws and four of Harij village panchayat members for harassment and foul play.
Speaking to mediapersons after attending the hearing here Friday at the court of chief judicial magistrate, Madhavi said she had filed a criminal case on May 14 against her husband, her father-in-law and others.
“My husband Miteshbhai Dilipsinh Thakore deserted me because of undue pressure from Jamnaben and Dilipsinh as they were upset when I delivered a girl child two years ago. Jamnaben castigated me saying that she already has three daughters and would not like to have any more,” Madhavi said. “If my daughters can have male children why not you (Madhavi)?” was the frequent rant of Jamnaben, Madhavi alleged.
“The problems began when my husband forced me to have a prenatal test. Everything had gone well until after marriage when no sooner the test results came than I became the butt of torture and abuses for not bearing a female child,” Madhavi said.
Madhavi had married three years ago. “The only fault of mine was in giving birth to my daughter Sneha,” she said. “Two years back I was unceremoniously dumped in my parents house here,” she said.
Recalling what happened when Sneha was hardly a year old and afflicted with chikungunya, Madhavi said her father-in-law had shouted: “Better kill her (Sneha) and then come and inform me.”
“Dilipsinh is still a powerful person in our community. Even Chief Minister Narendra Modi knows how influential he is. Modi and several of his cabinets colleagues had attended my wedding reception at Harij village in Patan,” Madhavi said adding “I am ready to produce the marriage cassette if required.”
“My father in law has made all out efforts to get my signatures on divorce papers,” she said.
In her criminal complaint, Madhavi has named 10 people. They are Panchayat chief Manaji Hemtaji Thakore; Dilipsinh Thakore, Miteshbhai, Jamnaben, Dilipsinh’s three daughters Hinaben Pragneshbhai Thakore, Seemaben Pareshbhai Thakore and Sonalben (unmarried), and panchayat members Bhurji Thakore, Suresh Kumar and Popatji. “The panchayat had acted illegally and had delivered a bogus divorce certificate,” Madhavi said.
“Despite tremendous community pressure I decided to approach the court and filed a criminal complaint on May 14,” Madhavi said.
Fearing the wrath of the former minister my parents had been advising me to keep my mouth shut and not complain. Yet what happened was that they were bent upon getting the divorce. Fellow caste members of the panchayat were talking as if I had voluntarily divorced my husband and had signed the papers,” Madhavi said.
“I know powerful and influential people are at work and will target me for speaking to the press. I am not worried since the court has began its work,” said an agitated Madhavi.
Miteshbhai’s advocate Mansinh Chaudhari rubbished the claim that a prenatal test was forced on Madhavi. “If Madhavi had a prenatal test during her pregnancy why is she not revealing the name of the clinic,” Chaudhari queried.
When questioned, Miteshbhai and his sister Sonalben preferred to maintain silence. “We have been instructed not to speak,” they said.