Odisha Politician Bhartruhari Mahtab Daughter-In-Law Alleges Dowry Harassment: Report

Bhartruhari Mahtab: A case of dowry harassment came to light in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Odisha's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) parliament member Bhartruhari Mahtab, his wife, and their son have been named by his daughter-in-law for Dowry Harassment and a case has been registered in Bhopal's Mahila Police Station on Wednesday as per reports. The politician has denied all allegations. 

She alleged that her husband, father-in-law, and mother-in-law took Rs 1.5 crore as dowry in 2016, but they were demanding more money. “They used to torture her and later she was thrown out of the house in Cuttack,” said Ajeeta Nayar, a local police officer. Mahtab’s daughter-in-law is 34-year-old.

 Mahtab’s daughter-in-law further alleged that after a few days of marriage, her husband and his mother and father started harassing her. Distraught, she went to her father's house in Bhopal and the matter reached the court. In 2018, Mahtab and his family were ordered to allow their daughter-in-law to stay at their house in New Delhi. But when the 34-year-old went there, they reportedly did not even open the gate of the house for her. Despite repeated attempts when Mahtab’s family did not accept her, she filed the complaint, according to the police, Navbharat Times reported.

The daughter-in-law in her complaint revealed that in the year 2016, she was married to Lokranjan Mahtab. Her father reportedly spent more than 2.5 crore rupees for the marriage, but the husband's family was not satisfied with it. They allegedly started harassing her for dowry only a few months after the marriage. 

Mahtab, on the other hand, said his son’s divorce proceedings are pending in a Delhi court for two years after a failure in reconciliation efforts. “The husband and wife hardly stayed together for 4-5 days. She has been staying in Bhopal for the last 4 years. The dowry harassment case looks like an afterthought and nothing like, what has been alleged, happened,” he said.