Madhya Pradesh man brands newly-wed wife with hot knife for 'not being beautiful'

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A newly married woman in Madhya Pradesh has been subjected to horrific torture, allegedly at the hands of her husband who branded her with a hot knife, leaving her with more than 50 burn marks. The incident, reported by TOI, has led to the registration of a case against the accused.

The victim, Khushboo, a resident of Avarakchh village in the Khargone district, was married to Dilip Pipaliya, a scrap dealer from Anjad in Barwani district, on February 2. According to her account, her husband was dissatisfied with her appearance from the outset. The situation escalated dramatically on Sunday night.

Khushboo alleged to media persons that Dilip returned home intoxicated, assaulted her and then dragged her into the kitchen. There, he reportedly tied her hands and legs, heated a knife on the stove and proceeded to brand her multiple times on her hands, back and hip.

She managed to return to her maternal home in Khargone on Monday and filed a formal complaint. As a result, the Jaitpur police booked Dilip Pipaliya early on Tuesday under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including voluntarily causing hurt, voluntary obstruction and cruelty towards a woman, as confirmed by Khargone SP Dharmaraj, TOI reported.

Adding a layer of gravity to the allegations, Khushboo’s father, Lokesh Verma, claimed before reporters that his daughter was also being harassed for additional dowry by her in-laws. He further alleged that the accused’s family arrived at his home in two vehicles on Monday afternoon and threatened them if Khushboo did not return with them.

In a stark rebuttal, the woman’s in-laws have dismissed all accusations as baseless. They contended that Dilip was fond of Khushboo and had married her with "great pomp and show." They went so far as to claim that the wounds were self-inflicted.

Sudarshan Kalosiya, the in-charge of Jaitapur police station, stated that as the alleged crime occurred in Anjad, the case would be transferred to the appropriate jurisdiction for further investigation.