By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: In a case of domestic violence, one Mumbai-based business tycoon was arrested by Meghalaya Police recently and produced before the Court of the Judicial Magistrate (CJM) on Saturday following the complaint lodged by his wife, Prerna Narwani on grounds of domestic violence, mental torture, assault and dowry.
The accused, Vivek Narwani (Vickey) along with his mother, father and sister were arrested at Mumbai and brought to Shillong by the Shillong Police (Special Cell) recently after Narwani, daughter of a Shillong-based businessman, Harish Mordani who is the owner of Uncle’s Shop filed an FIR in Shillong against her husband and in-laws for torturing and assaulting her for the past few years.
In a hearing held on Saturday, the court had denied remanding the accused to another 7 days in police custody but remanded him to 14 days judicial custody after 5 days of police custody. However, the parents and sister of the accused were released on bail.
“The case is still at its preliminary stage and prima facie is there against the accused to proceed with the case”, lawyer IC Jha said adding that the court has granted the investigating officer to go to Mumbai and collect all the relevant documents after which the case would be brought to the court again.
Narwani, a mother of two daughters was married off to Vickey 13 years ago and stayed in Mumbai along with her husband and in-laws. However, in these 13 years, Narwani had complained of being ill-treated by her husband and in-laws simply because she couldn’t give them a male child. “This person (Vicky) is an alcoholic, womanizer and a gambler and he along with his family used to hit and abuse me if I raised any questions pertaining to my husband’s daily affairs”, Narwani alleged adding that there was an incident in 2000 when her husband pushed her out from a moving vehicle for which she was admitted in the hospital.
Furthermore, the mother of two alleged her husband of forcing her to go for illegal abortion just because she couldn’t conceive a male child. “My husband and my in-laws had forced me to go for abortion twice and the second time when they asked me to abort the child when I was already 5 months pregnant, I had refused because the doctors had already warned me of aborting the child at this stage as it would put my life at risk and in exchange for my protest, I was abused badly and they even started picking on me on dowry and extorting my father”, she stated.
She further alleged that she was forced to return back to Shillong because she could not fulfill their demands. “My husband and my in-laws had continuously insisted me to give my consent for divorce, of which I had refused and to lure me, they gifted me a 25 lakh flat in the name of my elder daughter and later forced me to give my consent for divorce, as they have made separate provisions for me and my daughters”, Narwani mentioned in her FIR.
The worried mother also stated that there were many instances where her husband had hurt her daughters and tried to kill her youngest daughter as a result of which she fractured her ear. “After I came to Shillong, they continued to call me and my father saying that unless the demands are fulfilled, they would, through a hired person, kidnap my daughters for ransom”, she said.
“My husband also threatened to get me raped or throws acid on my face”, Narwani said adding that her husband and in-laws are dangerous and desperate in nature.
When asked whether she had filed a complaint with the Mumbai police against her husband’s violence behaviors, Narwani informed that she had filed a complaint with the police commissioner one year back but no actions were taken. “They play a game with money; they managed to cover up everything and subsequently my case became weak”, she said even while expressing confidence on the judicial system of the state to help her get justice.
Meanwhile, reacting to a query on the possibility of the case going weak with help of money power, their lawyer, IC Jha while agreeing to the fact that the investigating agency in the state is not well equipped and trained, he however, stated that as far as this case is concerned, it is going on the right track.