- A domestic dispute in Thane involved allegations of occult and superstitions
- Vinayak Raut, his wife, and son face charges under the anti-superstition law
- Daughter-in-law Girija Raut accused in-laws of mental harassment and assault
A domestic dispute in an influential family in Maharashtra's Thane has taken an ugly turn with allegations of superstitious and occult practices. A former MP belonging to Uddhav Thackeray's party and other family members have been charged after his daughter-in-law alleged that they forced her to drink cow urine and plucked her hair for superstitious practices.
The police have now filed a case against politician Vinayak Raut, his wife, and councillor son Gitesh Raut under the anti-superstition law. Two alleged sorcerers, Firoz and Qazi, have also been named in the FIR.
Girija Raut has alleged that her in-laws mentally harassed and assaulted her and that she was repeatedly starved.
"I have faced social, mental, and emotional harassment for seven years," she told reporters today.
She alleged the family took her to occult practitioners over what she claimed were infertility issues of her husband. Vinayak Raut never took her stand despite being the head of the family, she alleged.
Vinayak Raut has dismissed all allegations and accused his daughter-in-law of resorting to such tactic after failing to "extort" Rs 12 crore, a three-room flat, and a car as alimony.
"The real reason behind these allegations is the divorce case. When we refused to accede to their exorbitant demands, she resorted to such tactics and leveled false allegations," he said.
Raut also questioned the timing of her allegations. Replying to him, his daughter-in-law said she couldn't muster the courage to register a complaint earlier since they are from an influential family.
She also accused her husband of denying her a physical relationship on their honeymoon in Ooty. Whenever she tried to get close to him, she claimed he pushed her away. He allegedly told her he could only be intimate at an international location, not within India.
She claimed that after their return from Ooty, he publicly insulted her while on their way for a reception in their ancestral village, Talgaon. He allegedly lashed out at her in front of everyone for walking slowly.
Girija Raut claimed such quarrels were frequent and never cared about the surroundings. Regardless of the time and place, he would go on arguing until his anger subsided, she alleged. She insisted that her mother-in-law knew everything, having heard them arguing at their Mumbai home.
There were also allegations of assault. During their trip to Australia in 2018, she claimed her husband continued to avoid her. When she tried to bring the topic up, she was allegedly assaulted and warned he would die if they got physically intimate.
The charges were not just against her husband but others too in her husband's family. She accused them of mental harassment, abusive behaviour, domestic abuse, and abandoning her on multiple occasions. The police have registered a case based on her accusations and launched an investigation.
Vinayak Raut is considered to be a close associate of Uddhav Thackeray.
