A disturbing case of dowry-related harassment of a newly-married woman has come to light from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. The 26-year-old victim, named Sonali Sharma, is fighting for her life in the Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. Sonali was admitted to the hospital on July 26, 2025, after her mother-in-law allegedly fed her a soft drink laced with a toxic substance.
Her brother, Mayank Sharma, shared the details of abuse endured by his sister and her current health condition on X. According to Mayank, Sonali has been receiving critical care in the ICU at the hospital for about a month, but her condition has not improved.
Now, her in-laws have fled, leaving her in critical condition.
— Mayank (@hereismayank) August 22, 2025
She is currently in ICU since last one month getting her treatment in Sir GangaRam Hospital Delhi. Her condition is very critical and there is no positive growth in her health
Mayank said that Sonali’s in-laws did not even give her proper food for days before she was admitted to the hospital. He added that Sonali’s husband and in-laws have been torturing her for dowry. She had been facing mental and physical harassment by her in-laws for the past year, since she got married.
Accusing the police and local administration of apathy and lack of support, Mayank said, “The police haven’t taken any strict actions against her in-laws, and are taking the case very lightly. We are getting no support from the system and the police are not showing any interest in helping us”.
The police haven't taken any strict actions against her inlaws, and are taking the case very lightly. We are getting no support from the system and the police are not showing any interest in helping us. https://t.co/EwS4e305u0
— Mayank (@hereismayank) August 22, 2025
FIR says Sonali’s in-laws burnt her with hot iron tongs, fed toxin-laced drink
An FIR was filed by the victim’s father, Satish Sharma, at the Maharajpura Police Station in the Gwalior district under Sections 85, 123, 115(2) and 3(5) of the BNS and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 on July 25, 2025.
According to the FIR accessed by OpIndia, Sonali Sharma, originally from Bhind, Madhya Pradesh, got married to Aditya Sharma on February 18, 2024. The victim’s family had given cash worth ₹14 lakh 50 thousand to her in-laws at the time of marriage. However, a few months after the marriage, the victim told her family that her in-laws, including her husband, Aditya Sharma, father-in-law, Rajesh Sharma, mother-in-law, Anita Sharma, and sister-in-law, Sapna Sharma, have been pressuring her to ask her family to gift them a Bullet motorcycle. When she refused to accept their demand, they physically assaulted her.
The father of the victim said that around 15 days before the filing of the FIR, Sonali’s in-laws burnt her hands with heated iron tongs. The FIR states that the victim called her mother on July 19, 2025, around 11:30 pm, and told her that her mother-in-law had given her a soft drink laced with some toxic substance, after consuming which she fell sick. She added that she had been vomiting repeatedly, but her in-laws did not take her to a doctor. Her father immediately informed their relative, Akash Sharma, who lived close to her in-laws’ house and requested him to take her to a doctor.
Akash Sharma went to her in-laws’ house and urged them to take her for medical treatment. Subsequently, her husband, Aditya Sharma, accompanied by Akash Sharma, got her admitted to Birla Hospital for treatment. From there, she was referred to Ganga Ram Hospital, where she is undergoing treatment currently.
No arrests have been made so far by the police in the case as the in-laws are absconding.
