A recently-married woman on Tuesday, May 14 complained to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the State Women's Commission about "inaction" by Kozhikode police on her complaint about the dowry harassment she had to undergo at her husband's home. The wedding took place on May 5 and on May 12, ending the marriage, the woman returned to her home with her parents.

The 29-year-old bridegroom, Rahul is an aeronautical engineer in Germany, and his parents are now settled in Kozhikode. The victim, who works in a leading multinational firm, said that her harassment started a few days after the wedding.

"He (Rahul) told me that he had all the credentials to get 150 sovereigns of gold and a car. I was beaten by him (on the night of May 11). He used the cable of the mobile charger to try to strangulate me. When I cried loudly, he told me not to cry as his parents, who stayed on the ground floor, would hear. I did hear sounds of someone coming up but, when I stopped crying, they seemed to have gone back," said the harassed young woman, who accused him of trying to kill her.

"When I was taken to the hospital, he managed to convince the doctor that I had a fall and suffered the injuries," she added.

The victim’s mother said it was on May 12, as part of the custom to visit the in-laws, a big group of relatives reached their house in Kozhikode.

"We waited for a while but we could not see my daughter. I then called her mobile, but it was switched off. Later I called Rahul, he said they were freshening up and would come down soon. After a while, he came down and later I saw a woman walking down. It took me a while to realise it was my daughter. Her face was swollen and she looked completely in distress," the mother said.

"Later I spoke to her in person and at first she denied any harassment, but later she revealed how she was harassed and beaten up. We decided to see that we end the marriage and we took our daughter back with us," she said, adding that the police at Kozhikode - whom they first approached - did not rise to the occasion on their complaint.