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Lieve Snellings | all galleries >> for Peace and Justice >> DAUGHTERS OF FIRE 2009 - DOCHTERS VAN VUUR - FILLES DU FEU >> Daughters of Fire - Indian Women's Court >> 07 - The Changing Forms of Dowry Violence > Dr. Mitu Khurana
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28-JUL-2008 © Lieve Snellings

Dr. Mitu Khurana

Bangalore, Karnataka, India

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Dr. Mitu Khurana, Delhi Forced Sex Selection

I, Dr. Mitu Khurana, mother of two daughters, whom I have saved from being killed by my husband and in laws during my pregnancy, would like to share my experience with the PC-PNDT act, and implementing authorities’ attitude.

I got married to Dr Kamal Khurana on 28th November 2004. There was a lot of dowry harassment initially. I became pregnant in Jan 2005. A trans-vaginal ultrasound conducted in the sixth week of pregnancy showed that I was carrying twins. Then my mother in law started demanding sex determination. I and my parents tried resisting it but my in-laws and husband got that done by deception. They knew I was allergic to egg so they fed me egg laden cake, telling me that it was egg-less. I developed allergic manifestations in the form of stomach ache, loose motions and vomiting. Whole night I was left alone. Next morning my husband took me to hospital, which was not the same hospital where I was undergoing my antenatal tests. He and his mother accompanied me. I was admitted to the labour room. The gynaecologist advised K.U.B (Kidney, ureter, bladder) ultrasound, but the radiologist did a foetal ultrasound, then and asked me to get up and go. I pointed out to him that the gynaecologist had ordered K.U.B. So then the radiologist asked me to lie down and did the K.U.B examination.

After this incident my husband and in laws started demanding that I get a medical termination of pregnancy. My mother in law asked me many times to at least get one child killed in utero. I was kept without food and water. My husband was totally ignoring me turned me out of the house at 10.p.m. in the night and asked me to go to my father’s house. When I asked him to at least take my mobile, or my car keys, as where I would go in pregnancy, to which he replied “if you take anything from this house, I’ll slap
you.” My father in law intervened and asked my husband to let me stay the night, and morning he could send me to my parents.

On 17 May 2005, after one such verbal abuse throughout the night, I developed bleeding and threatened abortion, I was not even allowed to call up my parents for medical help. I managed to call up my father in the morning. After much persuasion by my father, my husband agreed to take me to the nursing home, but he drove too rashly on the entire
drive from Rohini to Janak Puri. Thrice they tried to kill me or at least get me aborted after which my father brought me back to my parent's home.

My mother in law told me that two daughters would be a big burden on them, and that I should give one of them up for adoption, get them aborted, or at least one of them killed. My in laws and husband hardly ever accompanied me for antenatal tests or hospital visits after they came to know I am carrying daughters. My husband would frequently fight with me even in my parents’ house. He demanded D.N.A test because his mother had told him that some priest had told them that he would be father of one son only. As I am carrying two daughters, they cannot be his children.

Despite all this tensions, I delivered two-pre term daughters on 11/08/2005. My in laws never visited me for a full nine days. When my in-laws came to visit, one of my aunts congratulated my sisters-in-law. They said “god forbid, we ever become bhuas of girls again.” My mother-in-law said, “they are born in seventh month so they are not going to survive anyways.” My younger daughter stayed in the nursery for almost one month. All hospital bills were paid by my parents.

I tried multiple times to go back to my in-laws house. However, there was a lot of verbal abuse, and I had no help in looking after the children. There was no love or respect for the children or me. I was not even sure my children and I would be safe there. My mother in law deliberately pushed down my four-month-old daughter from the staircase and pretended it was an accident. Fortunately I was able to hold her carrying cot and save her from harm. They never showed any love or affection towards them. Their grandparents & aunts have rejected them totally. I tried for full three years that my husband and in laws accept my daughters, because I wanted to give my daughters a stable home. Though I had complained to the crimes against women cell during my pregnancy about the fact that sex determination was done, and was being pressurized for medical termination of pregnancy, I had requested them not to take any action as I thought they would mend their ways and accept my daughters.

In March 2008, my husband threw me out in the middle of the night, and asked me for a mutual divorce, because he wanted to remarry to have sons. It was during this visit to my matrimonial house, that I came across the discharge papers, and reports of ultrasounds done during my pregnancy (those papers had been always in the custody of my husband).

Since then I have filed a complaint to the women commissions, the health minister, and various N.G.Os. I filed the complaint in P.N.D.T cell on 9th May 2008. When I got no reply I filed a R.T.I application on 21st May asking them what they had done in my case. On 5th June I got the reply that the Central Monitoring Committee along with District Appropriate Authority had raided the hospital on 3rd June 2008, and again I got a reply from District Appropriate Authority that during raid it was found that no form F was filled, which is true-it was never filled. Still no action was taken.

When my case was highlighted in media, I got a letter from District Appropriate Authority asking me to appear before them and express my views. I went to meet the C.D.M.O along with a friend, where I asked about the value of my statement in this case; wherein I was told that the law needs to be explored. They suggested that I should not do anything in the spirit of youth, which I’ll repent later. I was also told that I should try to reconcile with my husband, as I could always get pregnant again. I was also asked the benefit to me if the ultrasound machine is sealed, as the ultrasound machine was a very useful tool in the diagnostics, and someone could have to suffer for the eventuality of the ultrasound machine being sealed. Lastly I was advised to inform the office, in case of resettlement with my husband, so that the doctors are not troubled. Though it has been established that the gynecologist had asked only for K.U.B., and a detailed fetal ultrasound had been done, no form F has been filled, and also I was tortured during pregnancy to abort the babies, still no action is being taken.

An enquiry committee was set up in august 2008, and even the report given in that enquiry committee is totally biased. They have accepted all the statements given by husband, in laws and doctor as the truth, and reported my statements as contradictory to their statements. Also the fact that no form was filled (which had been conveyed to me by the way of an R.T.I also) was changed to that form F is not traceable and they found that my name is not even present in the district records of the time. The enquiry report concluded that no direct or circumstantial evidence of sex determination was found.

My husband and in laws were aware of the report of the enquiry committee, without even getting a copy of the report. They got the copy of report only in Jan 2009, by way of a R.T.I application, but they have stated in their bail application in November 2008, and
December 2008 that the appropriate authority have given them a clean chit after a detailed enquiry. That in itself proves that the enquiry committee has given its report in collision with all the accused.

I also met Joint Secretary Health and Family Welfare (central government), who told me that they cannot take any action against my husband and in laws as PC-PNDT act does not cover taking action against them. She advised me to file a case under domestic violence and let it be. I was shocked when the Chair Person, National Commission of Women, also tried to convince me that since my daughters are alive I should withdraw my complaints under PC-PNDT act and satisfy myself by just filling under domestic violence act.

No answer is given about as to why the fetal ultrasound was done in the first place, when it was never asked for. In the meantime all my letters to central P.N.D.T department, state P.N.D.T department and Health and family welfare Minister have gone unanswered. My pleas to well-known girl child activists have gone unheard. They have been passed off as simple emotional outbursts. Most of the social activists I have contacted have refused to do anything to help me, a question which I `d like to put forward when a women does come forward and wants to fight for the life of her daughters, why don’t you help her? Why don’t you raise the questions and also why is she being victimized by the very people who speak volumes about the issue and claim to be big social activists?

Eventually I had filed a private complaint under PC –PNDT act under section 5 and 6 against the hospital, doctor, my husband and in laws. After that the appropriate authorities have filed their case against only the hospital under rule nine. They have filed the case in Rohini Courts, New Delhi. Till date I am receiving threats that I’ll be killed or my daughters kidnapped and murdered if I do not withdraw my complaints.

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