A spine-chilling incident of domestic abuse has emerged on Wednesday from Dehradun, where a married woman was allegedly confined inside a washroom at her marital home for ten months, was assaulted by her husband and in-laws and was starved, leaving the residents in disbelief and inviting police intervention.

According to police, the woman who narrated the long-standing ordeal is named Sakshi, and was allegedly subjected to horrendous cruelty by her husband and in-laws, as per a complaint filed by her family. She was rescued after her father, with the help of local panchayat representatives, gained access to her marital home following months of broken communication and pulled her out of confinement.

Sakshi confined after birthing twins

According to the complaint, Sakshi’s nightmare began in July 2025, only a few months after she delivered twins in February. Her kin alleged that shortly after the childbirth, her husband and in-laws separated her from the newborns and even deterred her from caring for or even holding them.

Furthermore, it was alleged that she was locked inside a washroom daily and was kept confined for prolonged periods, with little exposure to the outside world. Her family members claimed that throughout her confinement, she was provided minimal food; raw rice, an onion, salt and a green chilli.

Woman brutalised with iron rods, whips, chairs

Sakshi’s father has accused her in-laws of repeatedly assaulting her by means of iron rods, chairs, pipes and whips. In the complaint, he alleged that the relentless torture left visible injuries across her body, while causing severe physical and emotional trauma to her.

If her relatives are to be believed, all communication between Sakshi and her parental family were forcibly cut off during the 10-month-long ordeal. Whenever her parents tried contacting her, they were allegedly given misleading explanations, such as Sakshi bathing or being asleep.

Parents rush to Sakshi’s aid suspecting foul play

The incident was laid bare when Sakshi’s parents visited her marital home after months of broken contact with her. They alleged that initially, they were barred from entering the house and were urged to leave.

Suspecting foul play, Sakshi’s family sought assistance from local village representatives. The Bhauwala village Pradhan and panchayat members lent contribution to the anxious family, and finally, Sakshi was rescued from the dreaded house.

Relatives said when she was brought out, she appeared severely distressed and disoriented, even struggling to recall basic details, including the date and passage of time.

Police register FIR, launch probe

Upon receipt of the information and a written complaint from Sakshi’s family, the police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused husband, Rahul Khandudi and his parents under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to wrongful confinement, causing hurt, criminal intimidation and intentional insult.

Investigating officer Shashi Rana said that the cops will be recording Sakshi’s statement soon and will conduct a probe into the allegations.