Woman thrown out of house by in-laws after her husband’s death

BENGALURU: Twenty-seven-year-old Puja, is living in inhumane conditions outside her home in Yeshwantpur Assembly constituency. After her husband’s death three months ago, Puja’s in-laws, Shrinivas and Shanthamma, along with her sister-in-law, threw her out of the house, locked it and shifted to their daughter’s house.

Puja’s husband had health issues, which her family was not informed about before the marriage. Puja has been living outside her home for 20 days, cooking on a small gas stove and using her neighbour’s toilets.

She claims her in-laws harassed her, telling her she was no longer needed after her husband’s death. Puja’s mother, who had taken a loan to arrange her wedding, is heartbroken and wants her daughter to be taken care of. The incident has highlighted the need for intervention from women’s organisations and the Women’s Commission.

Puja said, “It had been seven years of marriage. After my husband’s demise, they just refused to accept me. Earlier, we were living together; now my in-laws threw me out. I am from Koppa; we are from a very poor family. My parents arranged this marriage after seeing that their family was well settled. After they locked the house, I am living here outside, using some vessels. My husband had health issues before our marriage, but they had not informed us about it . Now I am living with my mother.”