A 65-year-old widow moved Calcutta High Court on Monday alleging that her elder son and daughter-in-law were torturing her and her younger son in a bid to evict them from the house built by her late husband.

Krishna Mukherjee, a resident of Tarpukur Road in Naihati, North 24-Parganas, stated in her complaint that her elder son Dipankar and his wife Jhuma had been “punching and kicking” her and ailing son Subhankar “on a regular basis” since her husband Jnanatosh died in August 2005.

“They are not allowing us to go out of the building and trying to force us to vacate the house built by my husband. They have not even made the arrangements to treat my younger son, who is suffering from a critical pancreatic disease,” said the complainant.

Mukherjee claimed that she was forced to approach the court through a neighbour, to whom she had passed on the petition through a window. She also said the local police did not help her or her younger son even after a trial court had ruled in their favour.

Justice D. Dutta asked the police to provide adequate security to Krishna and Subhankar and fixed the matter for hearing after a week.

Billwadal Bhattacharya and R.L. Chakraborty, the lawyers who appeared for Krishna, told the court that Dipankar had even snatched from his mother the money his father had received as provident fund and gratuity payment.

“Jhuma has now been threatening to lodge a complaint against Krishna under Section 498A (cruelty on housewives) if she does not leave the building,” the lawyers alleged.

“Dipankar and his wife are not allowing my client to enter the kitchen, and as a result she has had to almost starve along with her younger son. When she appealed before a Barrackpore court, the magistrate ordered the police to take steps for her safety. But the police did not even visit the house,” claimed the lawyers.

The lawyer appearing for the government prayed for time to take “instructions from higher authorities”.