Chiranjeevi daughter Srija files dowry case against husband

And they lived happily ever after. That might be true for many couples who eloped, but not for Srija — youngest daughter of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi.

The Hyderabad police on Tuesday arrested Sirish Bhardwaj, the man Srija had eloped with and married in October 2007, for harassing his wife for dowry.

The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) chief’s daughter had lodged a complaint with the police in Hyderabad on Monday evening accusing her husband and mother-in-law of mentally and physically torturing her, and demanding a dowry of Rs. 1.5 crore from her parents.

Srija said her parents had registered property worth crores in her name. “Out of love towards Sirish, I gave him a lot of money, but of late, he started asking for more money. Unable to bear the harassment, I recently re- registered all properties that were in my name back to my parents’ name. After that, Sirish started demanding that I bring Rs. 1.5 crore from my parents,” she alleged.

Srija had married Sirish, then a 22- year- old software professional, against the wishes of her family. The couple fled to Delhi after their wedding and had sought protection from the Delhi Police, saying they feared for their lives from her family. She returned to Hyderabad only after the veteran star made a public statement that he only had blessings for his daughter.

Hyderabad police commissioner A. K. Khan said the police had booked a case against Sirish under Section 498-A of the IPC (subjecting a married woman to cruelty).Cases were also booked under the Dowry Prohibition Act. Sirish is being interrogated while his parents have been summoned for questioning.