Many times we have come across incidents in which human kidneys are traded in exchange of money despite the fact that such trading is illegal.
However, now we have come to know about a case in which a woman’s kidney is being sold without her knowledge by her husband because her family was not able to give dowry.
The incident has taken place in West Bengal and the name of the victim is Rita Sarkar (28). Rita claims that her kidney was sold by her husband and in-laws because her family was not able to fulfill their demand of Rs. 2 lakh dowry. In fact, the Mirror Now has reported that the woman has alleged harassment and torture by her husband and his family for dowry for years now.
As per Rita, her kidney was stolen in 2016 when she was admitted in a private nursing home in Kolkata as she reported severe pain in stomach and the doctors at the nursing home told her that she would get rid of pain once her appendix was removed.
But she experienced pain even after surgery and her husband asked her not to talk about surgery to anyone. When she couldn’t bear it anymore, her relatives from paternal side took her to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital where doctors told her that her right kidney was missing. She went for the second opinion and the result was the same. As per a report published in Hindustan Times, she said,
“I then understood why my husband implored me to keep quiet about the surgery. He sold my kidney because my family couldn’t meet his demand for dowry.”
Rita filed a complaint against her husband Biswajit Sarkar, his brother Shyamal and Bularani, her mother-in-law. The husband and his brother have been arrested on Monday but mother-in-law has escaped and police is looking for her.
Both have been booked under Sec 19 (punishment for commercial dealings in human organs) & Sec 21 (offences by companies involved in any such act) of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act. The police has also charged them with sec 307 (attempt to murder) and sec 498 (detaining a married woman with criminal intent) of IPC.
Both the accused have accepted their crime and also told that the kidney was bought by a businessman from Chattisgarh. The nursing home of Kolkata has also been raided and police feels that a gang is working behind this kidney trade. A police officer told,
“A special team has been formed to investigate.”
This is really a serious crime and culprits should get severe punishment.