Police have registered a case against the MP and his family under sections of the Dowry Prohibition Act
The police in Madhya Pradesh have registered an FIR against Odisha's senior BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, his wife and their son, after their daughter-in-law alleged harassment for dowry, an official said in Bhopal on Thursday.
Mr Mahtab claimed in Bhubaneswar that his daughter-in-law had stayed with his son for just 5/6 days after their marriage in 2016 and the case filed in Bhopal could be an afterthought.
His daughter-in-law lodged a complaint at a women police station in Bhopal on Tuesday, saying that her family had spent a huge sum on her wedding and that she was allegedly being harassed for dowry, the official said.
The police have registered a case against the MP and his family members under various sections of the IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act.
"We have registered the FIR and started an investigation into the case," the official said.
Mr Mahtab, a six-time Lok Sabha member from Cuttack and a senior leader of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), said that he is yet to get any notice from the police or the court in this regard.
"I do not know the nature of the allegation against me and my family. I came to know about it from the media," he told PTI.
Mr Mahtab said that his son and daughter-in-law stayed together only for 5/6 days, and after a reconciliation attempt failed in 2018, a separation case has been filed, which is pending in the Patiala House Court in New Delhi.
Asked about the allegation of dowry harassment, he said, "Such accusations are not made after five years of marriage. Had this been the case, the alleged victim might have lodged a complaint immediately."
"The case which has been made at the police station two days ago could be an afterthought. It is not proper for me to say anything now on the merit of the case as it is under investigation. My life is an open book," he said.
The dispute is purely matrimonial and a matter between two individuals, the veteran Parliamentarian said.
He refused to say anything when asked if there is a political conspiracy against him.
"BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is quite aware of the dispute between my son and the daughter-in-law," Mr Mahtab said.
A case was registered against the MP, his wife and son under sections subjecting a woman to cruelty, criminal intimidation and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention, and provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act.