CCTV footage from Hyderabad of a 55-year-old woman being dragged by her hair and brutally slapped, punched and beaten has shocked many. In the 4.5-minute-long CCTV footage, a woman dressed in a burqa can be seen dragging the 55-year-old woman, later identified as Tashnima Sultana, by her hair out on a narrow lane, kicking, punching and repeatedly beating her.
Around one minute into the video, another younger woman — Tashnima’s daughter-in-law — joins the other woman. This other woman who was initially seen attacking Tashnima is the mother of Tashnima’s daughter-in-law.
Hearing the commotion, a neighbour steps out and can be seen inquiring, only to head back in later. The brutal attack then continues for several minutes. In the footage, a young boy, presumably related to the two women, can also be seen recording the crime on the phone and lurking around, witnessing the assault.
This horrific incident took place on Thursday in Feroz Gandhi Nagar, which falls under the Humayun Nagar police station limits in Hyderabad.
According to Tashnima, this is not the first time her daughter-in-law has physically assaulted her. “I had also filed police complaints against her about her earlier attacks. My son, who is working in Saudi Arabia, married her via phone in 2018. Almost a year later, he came to India and stayed with her for a month and then returned to Saudi Arabia. In the two-and-a-half-years, she has assaulted me several times,” said Tashnima.
According to the police, both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have filed complaints against each other several times about being assaulted by the other person.
The attack on Thursday was allegedly because of an argument over disrupting the power and water supply to the house on the first floor, where the daughter-in-law lives. The daughter-in-law, who was away for some time, returned home and found that the power and water supply had been cut off and a few electrical appliances had been affected because of the power outage. Infuriated, with the help of her mother, she attacked the mother-in-law, the police said.
Based on Tashnima’s complaint, the Humayun Nagar police registered a case. “We also visited their house and made a partition to ensure that they don't come face to face every day. Both of them have filed complaints of assault against each other several times earlier. They both have advocates who represent them in the court,” said the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Humayun Nagar police station.