Maharashtra unkind towards women, ranks 6th

Married women across the country have been harassed by husbands and in-laws over the years and 2011 was no different. In fact, the numbers are steadily increasing as 5% more women registered complaints in 2011 as compared to 2010. Reasons given: dowry and cruelty by in-laws.

According to a survey by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 1,07,753 women reported cruelty by husbands and relatives in 2011 while the figure was 1,02,400 in 2010, a rise of 5.7%. West Bengal holds the dubious distinction by registering 29,133 such cases last year, the highest in the country. Andhra Pradesh comes next with 28,246 cases followed by Uttar Pradesh (22,639).

Maharashtra is sixth in the list with 15,778 such cases.
While domestic abuse against married women is on the across India, Pune too records a similar trend. In 2011, 284 cases were registered against husbands and in-laws and 312 arrests were made in this regard. The year 2010 saw women filing 253 such cases, whereas 200 people were held on charges of domestic abuse.

People found guilty of causing dowry deaths can be charged under section 304 B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and those accused of cruelty under section 498 A.

Social activist Vidya Bal said that there is an increase in awareness among women these day. However, she said, “Yet, women don’t lodge cases when they are subjected to cruelty. They only do so when things get out of hand.”

Human rights activist and lawyer Asim Sarode said, “Women are becoming economically independent. They are aware of their rights and assert them too. Zero tolerance against domestic violence is also one of the reasons why there is a rise in number of cases filed.”

However, several rights activists alleged that most of the married women take unnecessary advantage of anti-dowry laws. The NCRB data too says that 11% reports filed by women were found to be false.

Atit Rajpara, member of Men’s Rights Association, said, “There were 79% cases where men and their family members were acquitted after they were found innocent, while 8% women were guilty of making false allegations. This clearly indicates that women are misusing the laws.”