The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has charged a man for battering his wife over suspected illicit marital affairs.

On April 3, the wife received a call from an unknown number. In the first instance, the man on the other end of the phone said that he was from Trashigang and that he had dialed the wrong number. The accused told police that the person had called again which led to the fight between them.

The couple residing in Changzamtog, Thimphu had allegedly fought over the issue. The accused held his wife by the neck and pulled her hair. She had allegedly bitten on his hand and the husband had boxed the wife on the face, which broke two teeth.

A medical report from the national referral hospital states that the victim has suffered a major injury.

The accused, who works as a driver with one of the financial institutions in Thimphu, is charged for battery and for violating section 158 of the Bhutan Penal Code 2004.

The section states that a person shall be guilty of battery, if the defendant purposely uses physical force of an adverse nature on another person.

The OAG attorney asked the court for compensation.

The wife said that since he is a family member, she demanded that he should pay for the replacement of her teeth.

Records with RENEW show that it has registered 385 cases of domestic violence until November 22 last year. Of that 45 cases were from Trashigang. Punakha is next with 33 cases followed by Samtse and Dagana reporting 29 cases each. Of the 385, 42 cases were non-domestic violence cases.

From 243 cases in 2009 with RENEW, the number of those subjected to physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse rose to 385 last year.

The NCWC is currently dealing with 31 cases received from January to April this year, which includes children in difficulties, destitute, rape victims, sexual harassment, violence against women, children in conflict with the law, matrimonial cases, and trafficking in person.

Staff Reporter 

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