TV actress Rucha Gujrati faces domestic violence

In April this year, TOI had reported trouble in TV actress Rucha Gujarathi's marriage. It can now be confirmed that her marriage to businessman Mitul Sanghavi has hit choppy waters. A source close to the actress claims she's been a victim of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her husband and in-laws.

Says the source, "Problems cropped up soon after Rucha tied the knot on October 24, 2010 with Mitul, who is from a very affluent family. Mitul is completely under his parents' hold and shares everything with them, including the couple's bedroom conversations. The torture began on their honeymoon. Mitul woke Rucha up at 6 am and asked her why she didn't share the honeymoon expenses with him. He grabbed her by the hands and flung her onto the bed. She was shocked! No sooner had they returned that his parents started meddling in their affairs too. She was asked by her husband to follow whatever her father-in-law asked her to do."

The source adds that they also started imposing a lot of restrictions on her and looked down on her profession. However, she was given a completely different picture before marriage, where her in-laws seemed happy with her career choice. "At one point, they took away her set of house keys and warned that they'd never allow her in if she stepped out. They even deprived her of meals and asked her to foot the bills for her expenses and fend for herself. Rucha has been bearing her own expenses for the past two years. She isn't working currently, which has already made a dent in her savings. Her financial condition isn't very good."

Two days ago, matters came to a head when Rucha decided to meet Mitul to sort out the matter and start afresh, and her husband misbehaved with her and her father. "He refused to open the door for her, and that's when her father landed up at his house. An infuriated Mitul opened the door, grabbed her father by the collar and started hitting him. He then directed his anger at Rucha, pulled her by her hair and slapped her, leaving a deep cut on her lips."

Both Rucha and her mother-in-law called the police separately, but the cops called by her mother-in-law came first. "When Rucha pleaded with them to book her in-laws for mental and physical abuse, the cops instead apologised to her inlaws and left! She had kept quiet all this while hoping things would change. Now, she has called her sister to stay with her as she fears her in-laws will harm her. She doesn't mind giving the marriage a second chance, but her husband and in-laws need to treat her with respect," adds the friend.

When contacted, Rucha confirms that there's trouble in her marriage, "I would not like to divulge the details. All I can say is that I want justice."