india

Updated: Nov 07, 2019 23:23 IST

New Delhi: A case of domestic abuse from Srinagar is the first complaint that the National Commission for Women has received from Jammu and Kashmir after it officially became a Union Territory on October 31.

The complaint was filed on November 5 with the NCW by the survivor’s uncle, who is a government functionary.

NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said that the woman who has been married for over a decade was asked to leave her home by her husband, who then remarried. “She had suffered physical and emotional abuse, and since the man’s second marriage has religious sanction, the complainant cannot seek action against that,” said Sharma.

Sharma added that the woman was seeking a divorce, which her husband was reportedly denying her. She has also sought her valuables and jewellery that she alleged she was not permitted to take with her.

“The Commission received its first complaint from Jammu & Kashmir after it became a Union Territory. We have taken cognisance of the matter and sent a notice with regards to the complaint to the DGP [Director General of Police],” a statement issued by the NCW read.

As per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights (SCPWCR) ceased to exist. Sharma said that the NCW will work directly with state authorities in this case.

The SCPWCR was formed in 1999. Nayeema Ahmed Majhoor was the last chairperson who served from June 2015 to June 2018. After governor’s rule was imposed in the former state, its offices in Srinagar as well as Jammu were taken over by the State Law Commission. A new state commission is on the pipeline.

“A team of NCW members will travel across the UT, and among other things, we will study how women cope with the long periods of militancy,” Sharma said.