''Aandar ki baat'' problems forces woman to take to streets

Rajkot, July 7 (UNI) A 22-year-old woman, Pooja Chauhan, who created a stir by marching on the streets here clad only in her undergarments to protest against the alleged harassment meted to her by her husband and in-laws, has now filed a case against them under the Domestic Violence Act (DVA).

The woman has been assisted by a non-governmental organisation, ''Anandi'', in filing the case yesterday.

An ''Anandi'' spokesperson said a copy of the case details has been submitted to the police commissioner. A copy would also be submitted to the First Class Judicial Magistrate, the spokesperson said.

The complaint has been filed against Pooja's husband Pratapsinh, mother-in-law Hansaba and two neighbours -- Ranchhod and Vinod.

An independent fact-finding team, meanwhile, is likely to call upon Pooja today and inquire into the circumstances that led her to march in semi-nude on the streets of Rajkot Tuesday last, the spokesperson said.

Pooja had resorted to such a step to ''get justice from the police'' as the Gandhigram police ''had not acted despite complaints lodged by her against the in-laws on four earlier occasions,'' the spokesperson said. The police, meanwhile, have refuted the allegation and said Pooja's husband and in-laws were arrested on Tuesday much before Pooja had taken to the streets.

On June 29, Pooja had tried to immolate herself near the crime branch office and, on the same day, a case was registered against her husband and in-laws, police claimed.

Police commissioner K Nityanandam, while talking to reporters yesterday, maintained that the police had taken prompt action on Pooja's complaint.

Following her complaint, investigations were initiated and the accused were arrested on Tuesday, the police commissioner said.

He further said that prior to this incident, Pooja had tried to commit suicide by consuming poison on February 16. On that occasion, however, she had denied she had any problems with her in-laws, the commissioner said.

Again on March 29, Pooja had filed a complaint against her brother-in-law and husband. On the same day, her husband too had filed a cross-complaint, accusing Pooja of beating his mother. On May 31, Pooja and her husband had jointly lodged a complaint against their neighbours, the commissioner said.

Pooja, meanwhile, while talking to reporters yesterday had alleged that the police was trying to weaken her case by projecting her as ''mentally unsound.'' UNI