Talib Hussain, a social activist and advocate who led an agitation seeking justice into the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir early this year, has been booked for alleged domestic violence and attempt to kill his wife over dowry.

The FIR comes after preliminary inquiry by the police into the complaint of Talib’s wife Nusrat Begum, 30. The directions for inquiry came on Thursday from Shabnam Sheikh, munsiff, Samba, and also the Chief Judicial Magistrate.

According to the police, Talib had married Nusrat in 2015, and the couple and have two children. Talib could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

The police said Nusrat, her father Mohammad Tahir and nearly a dozen neighbours brought a written complaint along with the court order to the police. The FIR was registered after the neighbours told the police that Nusrat had been living along with her two minor daughters at Tahir’s home since her husband allegedly physically assaulted her for dowry, Samba SSP Anil Magotra said.

The police said they plan to get Nusrat’s statement recorded before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) before proceeding against Talib in the matter. He has been booked under various provisions of RPC, including domestic violence, demanding dowry, threatening to divorce his wife and making an attempt to murder her.

His brother has also been booked for molestation and having common intention to intimidate her, police sources said.