Former minister accused of torture by wife

GUWAHATI: Former union minister Matang Sinh's wife has lodged a police complaint against him accusing him of torture, officials said on Thursday.

A police spokesman said, Manoranjana Sinh, chairperson-cum-managing director of Northeast Television (NETV), a private satellite television channel, lodged a formal report with a local police station here late on Wednesday against her husband.

"We have registered a case under section 498-A of the IPC (Indian Penal Code). This is a non-bailable offence and we have asked the complainant to record her statement before a magistrate's court under section 164 of the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) so that we can continue with our investigations properly," a senior police official said. 

The police official refused to divulge if the complainant had accused Matang Sinh of physical abuse as well or just meant mental torture and harassment.

Matang Sinh was parliamentary affairs minister during late prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's tenure. 

Neither Matang Sinh nor Manoranjana Sinh were available for comment.