Horrific! Daughter-in-law found locked up in a room for four years after husband's death

It's safe to say that Indian daughters-in-law have never really had it easy. Most have to struggle their way into a new family and even face prejudice at the hands of their in-laws.

But what you're about to read proves that some in-laws take such prejudice and horrific behaviour to another level.

In a report that is now making headlines and has shaken up the capital city, a 42-year-old woman named Kalavati and her 20-year-old daughter Deepa were rescued from their own home in southwest Delhi's Mahavir Enclave-II.

The mother-daughter duo had been locked inside a room for four years. But that wasn't the only shocking part about this news.

The mother-daughter duo did not live alone in the house. In fact, Kalavati's father-in-law, Mahaveer Mishra, lived in the next room and would give them food once in a day "when they asked for it." He is a retired linesman who worked in MTNL and used to receive a pension of Rs 16,000 per month.

"He (Mishra) said that the women hardly ate in the last four years and never stepped out of the house. He also said that whenever he took them to the doctor, they refused to tell their symptoms to the doctor because of which they could not be treated,” a police official told the media.

The Delhi Police was tipped by a neighbour in the area about these women, and they swung into action to rescue the mother-daughter duo. They also uncovered some startling truths on their way.

The police told the media that after they reached the spot, they found the duo living locked up in the first-floor of their home in unhygienic and malnourished condition. The two reportedly weighed less than 25 kilos!

The two had been living locked up in the house post Kalavati's husband's death in 2013.

Shockingly, they told the police that they were living in that horrific condition on their own accord and not forcefully. This led the police to believe that they were no longer of stable mind. Therefore, the two women have now been referred to IHBAS (Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences).

“Clearly their mental condition is unstable. They are undernourished and both weigh not more than 25 kg. We have referred them to IBHAS and will oversee the treatment," a police official told the media.

After their initial investigation, when the police asked the two women to accompany them to a hospital, they blatantly refused. But post a counselling session, they agreed to be taken to DDU hospital located in Hari Nagar for their treatment.

The doctors revealed that the two locked up women were also hallucinating.

“The woman often claimed to have been speaking to her husband and went on without food for days during these bouts. In his statement, the elderly man said that he has been getting them treated by a local doctor, as he did not have enough savings to take them to a hospital,” an official told the media.

This horrific incident has once again brought the debate of the rights of daughters-in-law back to the table. How much should they be subjected to such horror? In this case, even if the daughter-in-law wanted to sacrifice her life, Mishra should have stopped her instead of supporting this behaviour, but clearly he did nothing!

That brings us back to the issue of the problems daughters-in-law face, everyday.

Although the list is perhaps longer than three for many women, but these are certainly some of the most prominent problems daughters-in-law face!

• The outsider: Apart from facing the responsibility of adjusting in a new home with a new family, daughters-in-law also have to deal with the outsider tag sometimes. The onus of taking care of older parents is still on sons, mostly because many parents prefer it that way. This means that daughters-in-law are automatically expected to follow suit, irrespective of whether they have adjusted to their new home.
• Insecurity of in-laws: Many times, the daughters-in-law may have to face insecurities of her in-laws. This manifests from the fact that parents feel separation anxiety from their son. Sadly though even the law doesn't seem to understand this problem. Just a few months back the high court stated that a Hindu man can divorce his wife if she tries to separate him from his parents.
• Differential treatment: Sometimes daughters-in-law are also meted with differential treatment when a son or daughter is involved. They may be given more preference along with the son-in-law, in case the daughter is married.

Read: Supreme Court: Daughters-in-law should be treated as family and not as housemaids

If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the article, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest from theIndusparent.com

[All images courtesy: Pixabay, Delhi Police Handout/Hindustan Times]