UP farmer’s bride price: Rs20,000 only

Rs20,000. Hardly a big amount, you will say. But with this sum, a 41-year-old man bought a “wife”. The “bride” is just 17.

Sunita (name changed), who hails from a remote village in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district, has been living in a pathetic condition for the past two months in Delhi. She is not sure if she is someone’s wife or a bonded labourer.

Sunita was part of a group of girls brought to the national capital in December 2008 by Rita, who promised them jobs as domestic helps at a monthly pay of Rs2,000. Sunita had agreed to come with Rita because her mother Ramwati did not earn enough to feed two mouths. Her father died long ago.

In Delhi, Sunita was handed over to a “placement agency” in Gokulpuri. They promised to find her a job soon. In January, Sunita was told that Vijay Singh was willing to hire her for a monthly pay of Rs5,000. Sunita instantly took up the offer.

Forty-one-year-old Singh, a wealthy farmer from Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, took her home. A week later, he told her her mother had died and since she had no one else to fall back on, it would only be appropriate for her to stay with him.

Singh also told her, “I paid Rs20,000 for you and you are now my wife.”

For a month, Singh  has been physically and sexually exploiting Sunita.

One day, Sunita managed to call a person who lives in her neighbourhood in Ranchi to inquire about her mother.

To her surprise, she was told that her mother was alive and was making efforts to trace her.

Members of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), an NGO, managed to trace Sunita and efforts are now being made to unite her with her mother.

Singh, who isn’t aware that Sunita’s mother and BBA activists are on their way to rescue the girl, told DNA over the phone, “I paid Rs20,000 (for her). She is duty-bound to me and is now my wife. She will have to stay here now.”

However, he allowed Sunita to speak to this reporter after telling her curtly, “tell him I am your husband.”

Sunita came on the line and told DNA, “I don’t know where I am. After I came to this house I was told that my mother is dead and that Singh sahib is my husband.” She then broke down and said, “My life has been ruined.”

Before she could say anything more, the phone line was abruptly disconnected.