Woman Forced to Abort Female Fetuses and Coerced Into Relations With In-Laws for Male Child in Uttar Pradesh

Police have registered an FIR against seven members of the victim's husband's family following disturbing allegations.

A woman in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, was reportedly forced to undergo two abortions and was pressured into having relations with her father-in-law and brother-in-law, all stemming from her in-laws' desperate desire for a male child.

Mehak Khan entered into marriage with Shah Faheed in 2021. Shortly after their wedding, her husband and his family began demanding substantial sums of money and a car. When Mehak refused these demands, she allegedly faced daily physical abuse, resulting in severe spinal injuries.

The mistreatment intensified after Mehak gave birth to a daughter. During her subsequent pregnancies, ultrasounds were reportedly performed to determine the gender of the babies. On two separate occasions, pregnancies were terminated after scans revealed female fetuses.

According to Mehak's allegations, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law coerced her to have sexual relations with her father-in-law or brother-in-law in order to conceive a son. She further alleged that both her father-in-law and brother-in-law molested and abused her multiple times. Her complaints to her husband regarding these incidents were reportedly ignored.

Mehak claims that recently, she and her young daughter were severely beaten and expelled from their home. Her in-laws allegedly told her not to return until their dowry demands were satisfied.

Based on Mehak's complaint, police have filed an FIR naming seven individuals, including her husband, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and brother-in-law.

With inputs from Arun Agrawal