A sufferer herself, she assists domestic violence victims in US
Friday, 21/11/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141121/punjab.htm#26
Jalandhar : Ramanpreet Kaur (27), who belongs to the city, was allegedly left stranded by her in-laws in New York barely five months after her marriage in November last year. The police had arrested her husband Kulwarn Singh initially on the charges of domestic violence with physical abuse, but the case was closed recently and he was released on conditional discharge of one year after he pleaded guilty.
Ramanpreet said: “They (my in-laws) were defiant during family court hearings. They kept claiming that they being US citizens, I couldn’t do any harm to them. They used to beat me up. My husband had even locked me inside his uncle’s house for 15 days before my parents came to my rescue.”
Her father, retired from the electricity board, and her mother, a retired teacher, are at present bearing the expenses of around $2,000 to $2,500 per month for her stay and battle for justice in New York.
Ramanpreet married Kulwarn Singh of Hukkad village in Hoshairpur after checking his profile on a matrimonial site last year. She claimed her parents almost spent Rs 30 lakh on her marriage that took place at Richmond Hill Sikh temple on November 16 last year.
Nachattar Singh, Ramanpreet’s father, alleged: “They started harassing my daughter soon after we returned to India on December 31 last year. They even threatened to kill her. I approached the state as well as the Union Government, but to no avail.”
He alleged Ramanpreet’s in-laws kept her gold jewellery and other valuables. Despite repeated attempts. Kulwarn Singh did not respond to the phone calls. The police reports claimed it to be a case of domestic violence.
Ramanpreet has managed to get US work permit under the Violence against Women Act (VAWA), 1994, of the United States Federal Law. She is making efforts to reopen the case against her in-laws.
Ramanpreet is now helping and advising other women like her who find themselves at the receiving end on foreign land. “I find solace whenever I help someone like me. I am still trying hard to settle myself after an emotional turmoil. I want to see those behind bars who have left me devastated and abandoned,” she added.
Fight for justice
Ramanpreet KaurJalandhar-based Ramanpreet Kaur (27), was allegedly left stranded by her in-laws in New York
The police had arrested her husband Kulwarn Singh on the charges of domestic violence
The case was closed recently and Kulwarn was released
Ramanpreet has managed to get US work permit under the Violence against Women Act (VAWA), 1994
She is trying to reopen the case against her in-laws
Ramanpreet is now helping and advising other women like her
