OH DEAR DOWRY
Guache on Newspaper, 55cm(w) x 55cm(h), 2005
Man Chops wife’s hands for dowry
Udaipur: August 16 2002, Hindustan Times
Roshanlal couldn’t stand the sight of his wife. She nagged him about his illicit affair and worse, wasn’t getting the dowry he wanted. So he decided to teach her a lesson and chopped her hands off.
Now Manju 23, lies in the trauma ward of the Mahnrana Bhupal Hospital in Udaipur with the stubs that are left of her hands heavily bandaged.
Manju said she had been married to Roshanlal of Thamla village in Rajesthan for six years now. He worked as a milk vendor in Ahmendabad.
A year into her marriage and her in-laws and husband began hounding her for dowry. They started by selling off her jewellery. When Roshanlal began beating her up, Naju decided she couldn’t take it anymore and left for her parents home.
But Roshanlal soon made up with Manju and she joined her husband in Ahmendabad. She said Roshanlal’s behaviour only worsened. He refused to look at Manju and their four year old son and had an affair with a women in the neighbourhood.
On August 9, Manju when left for work found her husband with his lover, Pushpa. Roshanlal asked Maju if she had told her parents about the money he wanted. Then Pushpa forced Manju to stretch out her hands, after which she pulled out a long knife. Then, Pushpa slashed at Manju’s hands while Roshanlal pinned down her hands.
