New Delhi: Madhu Rajput, a lawyer practising at Karkardooma Courts, was attacked by her husband with a sharp object, allegedly a sword, in northeast Delhi’s Sonia Vihar, police said Saturday. The husband, Manoj, a property dealer, is currently absconding. The attack took place in his office.
On Saturday, Sonia Rajput, Madhu Rajput’s elder sister and also a lawyer, issued a statement, saying, “My sister Madhu was attacked by her husband and in-laws on the night of 24 April with sword…. She sustained multiple grievous injuries to her head and body parts. She is still under danger.” The Supreme Court Women’s Lawyers’ Association also condemned the attack on their colleague Saturday, demanding the immediate arrest of the husband and the in-laws.
DCP (northeast) Ashish Kumar Mishra said the attack took place on the night of 22 April. The Khajuri Khas police station received information about the incident. “Upon reaching the spot, A Block in Sonia Vihar, the woman, 38, was found with multiple injuries and was immediately rushed to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital,” DCP Mishra said, adding that forensic evidence was collected at the crime scene.
“The husband and wife had a family dispute; the woman was attacked by the husband,” he said.
DCP Mishra further said that the victim was referred to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and then to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.
A case of attempted murder was registered at the Khajuri Khas police station.
Now, the police are searching for the absconding husband.
DCP Mishra confirmed raids at multiple locations, adding that all efforts were being made to arrest Manoj.
Lawyers close to Madhu and aware of the matter said that the married couple had been going through a family dispute for some time.
“She was attacked by her husband and in-laws with sharp objects… it escalated to an extreme level,” said Amit Kain, a lawyer from Karkardooma Courts and the victim’s counsel.
Kain told ThePrint that the duo had been married for over seven years. “The duo had many arguments, but on 22 April, we suspect Madhu may have learned about her husband’s extramarital affair, which led to the assault,” he said, adding that Madhu, according to doctors, is currently under observation at the hospital and unable to speak.
“The duo had an argument during their daughter’s birthday on 22 April. The husband left the party, and Madhu followed him into his office. He shut the office door and then assaulted her with sharp objects. She has multiple injuries all over her body,” Kain said, adding that once Madhu regained consciousness, she could explain exactly what happened.
In the FIR, seen by ThePrint, the police have written: “Caller is saying she has been hit with sharp objects, like a sword.” The statement was recorded in Hindi.
The SCWLA statement said: “This was not a mere domestic dispute; it was a savage, premeditated attempt to silence and eliminate a dedicated officer of the court within the supposed safety of the national capital.”
Calling the graphic details and images emerging from the incident “devastating”, the statement added, “Madhu was targeted with sharp-edged weapons, resulting in the amputation of her fingers and deep, life-threatening lacerations to her head, face, hands, and feet. That a member of our fraternity—a sister in robes who fights for the rights of others—has had her own skull opened and her body maimed in such a feral manner is a dark stain on our collective conscience.”
“We demand the immediate arrest of the husband and the complicit in-laws. Any delay in their arrest is a failure of the Delhi Police and an insult to the victim’s suffering.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)