Nawaz Modi Singhania, the estranged wife of billionaire industrialist Gautam Singhania, on Tuesday alleged that she was "beat up, smashed, and kicked" by her husband. She also claimed that Gautam Singhania, Raymond Group MD, "punched" his minor daughter Niharika for about 15 minutes.
"The first incident happened on the 10th of September morning where Gautam beat up, smashed up, kicked, punched his minor daughter Niharika and myself for something which felt like about 15 minutes...unrelentingly," she claimed in an exclusive conversation with India Today.
Gautam Singhania announced separation from his wife Nawaz Modi Singhania on November 13, after 32 years of relationship. Now, Nawaz has reportedly demanded 75 per cent of his estimated $1.4 billion net worth as part of the divorce settlement.
In a first tell-all interview after separation, Nawaz narrated the sequence leading up to the assault. She said this was around 5:00 in the morning, after Gautam's birthday party which was on the 9th of September. "Even my two daughters had been present with some friends. He suddenly left the scene of the attack and disappeared. I could only imagine that he's gone to get his guns or weapons," she said.
Nawaz said she dragged her daughter into safety to another room and then went to get towels to support her back. "See, I've had two hernia surgeries - one was during the time of my pregnancy and the other is because I had an ectopic pregnancy and had a fallopian tube removed, which has resulted in another hernia. He knew that, and still flung me around the room several times. He was just going all out for Niharika and me, and we were just trying to protect each other."
When asked what triggered this assault, Nawaz said that Gautam wanted to use her bathroom when she was using it. "Now, he has two other bathrooms which are also touching our bedroom... and three more on the same floor, and a 39-storey tower full of bathrooms. It was just about power and control," she said.
Nawaz said that Gautam always considered Atulya Mafatlal, a businessman who passed away last year, to be a superhero. Mafatlal was also accused of assaulting his wife. "What Atulya did to his wife, how he threw his wife Payal Mafatlal out on the road when she went shopping. He had infamously locked her out of their bungalow. Nobody took her call, and no staff responded to her messages – nothing, nothing. She couldn't see her children; she couldn't get her clothes. So, Gautam thinks, wow what a man! I mean 'what power, what control, what strength...what a superhuman! It's something he's been wanting to do to me for a long time which I was aware of," she said.
Gautam Singhania refused to comment on the fresh allegations made by his wife Nawaz Modi. "In the interest of my two beautiful daughters, I would like to maintain my family's dignity and I will refrain from offering any comment. Please respect my privacy," he said in an e-mail response to India Today.
