The case of a young woman returning to her husband, despite accusations of abuse, and subsequently being hospitalised after another assault by him, has sparked a broader conversation on gaslighting and its psychological effects in Kerala.
26-year-old Neema Haridas had first accused her husband Rahul P Gopal of dowry-related physical and mental harassment in May this year, a week after their wedding. But she later changed her statement and claimed that her husband “only hit her twice”, triggered by “misunderstandings”. She added that the dowry demand allegations were false, added to strengthen her case upon the advice of her family and lawyer. Subsequently, the Kerala High Court dismissed dowry harassment proceedings against Rahul upon Neema’s request in October. A month later, on Monday, November 25, Neema was admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital with severe injuries following a brutal assault in Rahul’s house. And the police have once again booked a case against him.
Pantheerankavu Inspector Of Police Biju Kumar G said that Rahul gravely assaulted Neema though dowry harassment allegations have not come up this time. According to the FIR, the incident happened after 5.30 pm on Monday, when Rahul threatened to kill Neema, and hit her on the head, face, eyes, lips and chest while the couple was in his house. Neema told the police that he continued to beat her up in the ambulance, while she was being taken to the hospital. She said that if the driver hadn't been quick in driving them, the assault could have been fatal for her.
Rahul, who is currently under police custody, has now been booked under Sections 85 (cruelty towards women by their husbands or relatives),110 (crime of attempting to commit culpable homicide),115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt to another person), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to Neema's brother, after Neema retracted her allegations of dowry harassment in June, Rahul, who was absconding, came to India and the couple lived in Delhi for some time. "Then they returned to Kozhikode. Even though she had contact with our family, we haven’t discussed the case thereafter. She used to call our parents and communicate about routine affairs," he told TNM.
"Last night, we received a phone call from the Pantheerankavu police station and they informed us that she was in the hospital. They told us that Rahul had beaten her up and that her mother-in-law had taken her to the hospital," Neema’s brother added. He also said that after collecting her certificates from Rahul’s house, Neema would return to her parents in Ernakulam.
It was in May this year, nearly a week after her wedding, that Neema first filed a complaint against her husband Rahul P Gopal, accusing him of physical harassment and demanding dowry. Rahul is an aeronautical engineer working in Germany, and the couple's wedding took place on May 5.
Following her complaint, police booked Rahul under Sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means), and 498 A (domestic violence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Later, the investigation team added a charge of attempted murder. However, Rahul fled to Germany as the Kerala police were trying to take him into custody.
Nearly a month later, Neema appeared in a YouTube video, retracting her statements and claiming that she was forced to make the dowry allegations. She posted a video on her channel saying that while it is true Rahul hit her, “it happened only twice”, triggered by a “misunderstanding” between them. She also said that Rahul and his family never asked for dowry and accused her own lawyer and family members of forcing her to make such an allegation to strengthen the case.
However, Neema’s family had denied these claims to TNM. They stated that she went to her workplace in Thiruvananthapuram and later went missing, after which she uploaded the video from an undisclosed location.