Zubair Sofi
SRINAGAR
At dusk on Oct 30, 2016, flames erupted from Saffron town Pampore. Instead of school, that evening, it was a bride that was set afire for dowry. The victim was 26-year-old girl from Budgam who had already passed through miscarriage triggered by “torture” inflicted on her by her “abusive” in-laws.
Rubeena was at her home in Namblabal Pampore when on last Friday afternoon, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law attacked and critically injured her by setting her ablaze.
She was rushed to SMHS Hospital Srinagar where doctors said Rubeena has suffered at least 40% burn injuries.
Police set in to motion and arrested her husband, Adil Lone and her father-in-law the same day. However, her mother-in-law, Mubeena (50) and sister-in-law, Snober (34) fled from the spot.
“We chased the duo,” ASI Syedullah at police station Pampore told Kashmir Life on phone, “and arrested them at Srinagar Ram Bagh on next day of the incident.” Police registered a case FIR 89/2016 under sections 498A, 354, 306/511 of RPC.
According to the girl’s brother, Mohammad Yasin Sofi, Rubeena Akhtar of Dangarpora Kanipora, Budgam married Adil Lone of Namblabal Pampore on Oct 4, 2015. At the time of the Nikah, he said, her in-laws changed name from Rubeena to Rafia.
“A Mehar of Rs 50,000 was given to Rubeena and her in-laws gifted jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh to Rafia from the day of ring ceremony to the day of marriage,” Sofi told Kashmir Life.
But, Sofi said, Rafia was being “harassed from third day of her marriage over dowry”.
“Adil and his family would frequently torture her over dowry,” Sofi said. “Her in-laws snatched all her jewellery.” To appease his family, Sofi said, Adil—who is running a readymade garments shop near his house in Namblabal Pampore—would repeatedly abuse his wife.
Following “unabated torture”, Sofi said, Rubeena gave Mehar amount to her mother for safekeeping — leaving her mother-in-law in a miffed mood. “Then she would constantly taunt her: ‘your mother and family members are surviving with your Mehar. That is our money, tell them to return it’. At times, the scathing wordplay would appear life-threatening to my sister.”
To end her sister’s torment, Sofi said, he rushed to her in-laws’ home and handed over the Mehar amount to her mother-in-law. “I gave it to her despite the amount belonging to my sister according the laws of our religion,” Sofi, a younger brother of Rubeena, said.
Even, that didn’t help. Rubeena, “down-to-earth girl”, kept bearing the brunt of abuses her in-laws would subject her to, Sofi said. While she had made an apparent peace with her abusive life, the brother said, “but burning her for the sake of dowry was unfathomable to all of us”.
Before burning her, Rubeena, who had happily quit her lab technician job for the sake of marriage, was expecting a baby. “One day her husband kicked her in womb, and triggered miscarriage in her,” Sofi said. She was admitted in hospital only to be admitted again, this time for burn injuries.
For the half-orphan—her father has been missing since 2008—the fresh attack has apparently dented her hopes to reconcile with her murderous in-laws.
(Zubair Sofi is an Intern with Kashmir Life.)
