The life of television actress Daljeet Kaur of ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?' is a goosebump-inducing sad saga wherein she had to go through a nightmarish experience.
Daljeet, like any other girl, had thought of a happy conjugal life after tying the knot with her ‘Nach Baliye’ partner Shaleen Bhanot, but destiny had something else on offer for her.
A middle-class girl Daljeet married a rich boy Shaleen hoping to find acceptance in his family. However, she was received by greed-struck in-laws who started showing their displeasure for not being pampered with precious gifts from day 1 after Daljeet’s entry into her husband’s household.
“Status-wise, we are very different and they always knew about it. My father has three daughters and couldn't afford the kind of wedding they expected," she told a leading daily.
The actress remembers episodes of Shaleen’s absence from the house every night, thus making it clear he was cheating on her. Daljeet also says that domestic violence became a part of her married life and a normal practice on her husband’s part to beat her up. Despite being beaten on several occasions, Daljeet kept on forgiving Shaleen thinking that no one is perfect, and gave her marriage many chances to work. However, on November 30, 2014, when Daljeet confronted Shaleen about his vanishing act, things went out of hand.
"He threatened me with dire consequences if I left the house. Fearing for my son and my life, I went inside the room to pack my belongings. I was standing on a stool to pull out the suitcase, when he threw me down. He then locked the door from inside. Every time I would head to the door to escape, he would throw me on the floor like a ball. At one point, I opened the window and started screaming for help. He held me by my neck, shut the window and pushed me to the floor again. I hit the bed, my back was bleeding and my hand was terribly bruised. Suddenly, I realised that my maid was outside and requested her to get help. Shaleen held me with one hand, opened the door and threatened her too against leaving the house. Fortunately, she called my friend, who in turn alarmed a lot of other friends. I don't know who called the police, but within 15 minutes, they arrived,” recalls Daljeet.
On the same ill-fated night, she filed an non-cognizable offence against her brutal husband.
But there was more domestic violence written in Daljeet’s destiny. She told the daily that after getting well from the bruises, she returned to Shaleen to avoid becoming an extra baggage on her retired father’s shoulders. Moreover, Shaleen expresses his wish to give the marriage another shot. Her parents, though, were upset with her decision to return to her violent husband and did not speak to her for months.
“I hoped he would change, but within two days, he was back to square one. He even stopped paying for Shaarav's food. Then, on April 27 this year, a friend called me saying he had seen Shaleen kissing a girl under our building. When I confronted him, he grabbed me by my throat, pinned me against the wall and tried to strangle me. My maid pleaded with him to leave me. Fortunately, he left the house instantly and never returned. That's when I decided to file an FIR. The medical report clearly states that I had strangulation marks and my neck was swelling by the minute," she told the daily.
Unfortunately, even the police did not help Daljeet much as Shaleen managed to walk away on bail not once but thrice. Despite the ordeal and lack of enough funds to fight her court case, Daljeet hopes to see him behind the bars.
After being in an abusive relationship, Daljeet, who spent almost all of her hard-earned money on Shaleen and their home, is penniless now. Whatever money she is making, she spends on raising her son. In fact, her condition is so bad that she may pick up a job in a call center as well, if she finds one.
We hope things start getting better for Daljeet in the time to come. Our best wishes are with her.
source: TOI
