Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A woman who lost her eyesight after being forced to consume a 'herbal medicine' to ensure conception, and another who was sexually exploited by her own father for decades are two shocking cases that recently came up before the Madhya Pradesh Commission for Women.
A woman from the Vindhya Pradesh region of the state lost her eyesight, besides suffering other side effects, after consuming a 'herbal medicine' meant to help her become a mother.
The 30-year-old woman is a graduate, and her husband works in Delhi. They were married just a year ago but her husband and in-laws were already impatient that she had not become pregnant. Her husband took her to a local healer who gave her a 'herbal medicine' and promised that it would help her conceive.
The woman was unwilling to take the herbs prescribed by a quack but her husband and in-laws forced her to have them. Within hours, blisters appeared all over her body and her eyes became swollen. She also discovered that she had lost her vision.
She immediately moved to her parents' place, who took her to a local doctor and then to a hospital. She has since undergone two surgeries in a hospital in Chennai and more are to follow. Whether her vision would be restored fully or partially is still unclear.
Chairperson of the commission Rekha Yadav told Free Press that at the instance of the commission, an FIR was registered against the husband, in-laws and the quack.
In another case, a 40-year-old woman from the Chambal region told the commission that her father has been sexually exploiting her since she was three years of age. The exploitation continued through her childhood, teens and adulthood.
The man who was in defence also did not allow her to marry. On the verge of middle age, the woman is now in deep trauma. The father, when summoned by the commission, denied the charges and claimed that the woman was lying as she wanted to grab his property by blackmailing him.
“We took the view that a woman is highly unlikely to make such a repulsive and disgusting charge against her father and have recommended filing an FIR against him,” Yadav said, adding, “We have also formed a committee to inquire into the case.”
