UP Woman Forced Into Two Abortions, Pressured To Sleep With In-Laws For A Son
In a deeply disturbing case from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a woman has alleged that her husband’s family forced her to undergo two abortions and even pressured her to sleep with her father-in-law and brother-in-law in a desperate bid for a male child.
Police have filed an FIR against seven members of her husband’s family based on her complaint, according to the reports on Saturday.
The victim, identified as Mehak Khan, married Shah Faheed in 2021. According to her statement, life after marriage turned into a nightmare as her husband and his relatives began demanding lakhs of rupees in dowry and a car.
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When she refused, the harassment intensified, with Mehak claiming she was beaten regularly, leaving her with serious spinal injuries.
Her ordeal worsened after she gave birth to a daughter, when the family allegedly began taunting and abusing her for not bearing a son. When she became pregnant again, ultrasound scans were conducted to determine the sex of the baby. Both times, Mehak said, the pregnancies were terminated after the fetuses were found to be female.
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In her complaint, Mehak stated that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law went so far as to pressure her into sleeping with either her father-in-law or brother-in-law, claiming it would help her conceive a male child.
She also accused her father-in-law and brother-in-law of molesting and sexually abusing her on multiple occasions. Despite repeated pleas, her husband allegedly ignored her complaints and continued to support his family’s demands.
Matters came to a head recently when Mehak and her young daughter were brutally beaten and thrown out of the house, with her in-laws warning her not to return until she fulfilled their dowry expectations. Left homeless and traumatised, she finally approached the police for help.
Authorities have now registered a case under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those relating to domestic violence, dowry harassment, and sexual assault. The FIR names seven accused, including Mehak’s husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sisters-in-law, and brother-in-law.
Police officials confirmed that an investigation is underway, and statements from the victim and witnesses are being recorded. The case has sparked outrage locally, with women’s rights groups calling it a shameful example of gender bias and patriarchal abuse still prevalent in many parts of India.
