Governor’s Grandson’s Wife Alleges Dowry Abuse, Violence, Child Abduction

Divya Gehlot, wife of Devendra Gehlot — the grandson of Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot — has accused her husband and in-laws of dowry harassment, domestic violence, attempted murder, and abducting her four-year-old daughter. She submitted a detailed written complaint to Ratlam Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar in Madhya Pradesh, requesting immediate action and the safe return of her child, who she alleges is being forcibly kept in Nagda, Ujjain district.

Divya claims her husband Devendra (33), father-in-law and former MLA Jitendra Gehlot (55), brother-in-law Vishal (25), and grandmother-in-law Anita (60) have been harassing her for years over a dowry demand of ₹50 lakh. She further alleges that before marriage, her in-laws concealed crucial information about Devendra’s alcoholism, drug dependency, and alleged extramarital affairs.

The couple married on April 29, 2018, in Tal (Alot), under the Chief Minister’s Kanyadaan Yojana, at a ceremony attended by senior leaders including Thawarchand Gehlot — then Union Minister — and former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. According to Divya, the abuse began soon after the wedding, when she discovered her husband’s addictions and alleged affairs. She says she was subjected to constant physical and mental torture, including taunts demanding the promised dowry amount.

Divya says the violence intensified during her pregnancy in 2021, claiming she was beaten, denied food, and mentally tortured. Even after her daughter’s birth, the alleged abuse did not stop. She adds that despite a settlement attempt in 2019, “nothing improved, things only deteriorated.”

In a particularly shocking allegation, Divya recounts an incident on January 26 when her husband allegedly returned home intoxicated, assaulted her, threatened to kill her if she didn’t bring money from her parents, and pushed her off the rooftop. She says she fell into the gallery below, resulting in severe injuries to her spine, shoulder, and waist. She further alleges she was denied medical care throughout the night.

Divya claims she was taken to a private hospital in Nagda the next morning, where doctors declared her condition critical and referred her to Bombay Hospital in Indore. She says her parents were not informed and that her father was pressured to pay for her treatment.

Her deepest concern, Divya says, is her daughter. She alleges her in-laws have forcibly kept the child and refuse to allow her any contact. When she attempted to visit her daughter at school in November, she claims her husband stopped her and threatened that she would not be allowed to see the child unless she brought money from her parents. In her complaint, she pleaded, “Only a mother can take proper care of her child… I want my daughter back.”

Divya first approached Ratlam SP Amit Kumar, explaining that she is currently living with her parents in Ratlam. Since the incidents occurred primarily in Nagda, she was advised to file her complaint with the Ujjain IG and Ujjain SP. Ratlam police have accepted her application and forwarded it accordingly.

Responding to the allegations, former MLA Jitendra Gehlot said briefly, “Anyone can make allegations. I will present all the facts before the media.”

News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.