‘He should be shot dead’

Wife of sodomy accused says her  husband should get harsh punishment  

The family of Sanjay Patil, who is charged with sodomising minor girls, including his own children, is in a state of shock. Rather, seething in anger.  The suspect's wife, Saroj Patil, 42, says her husband “should be shot at sight”.  Sitting cross-legged in a modest two-room tenement in Dharavi-Koliwada, Saroj wonders about the family's future.

“I did not even have an inkling of my husband's activities. He should be shot at sight. We will commit suicide. My husband has ripped apart everything and the family's pride,” says Saroj.

Her two children, aged 9 and 5, are in playful mood, oblivious to gravity of accusations hurled against their father.

When coaxed, Rina (name changed) coyly shakes her head in agreement, saying she was also sexually harassed by her father. "He told me not to tell my mother. He forced me to see dirty films and touched on my private parts,” she says. Her brother Rohan (name changed), said, “I never liked what he did to me.” 

Saroj, who sells fish in local market, says that her husband had not come home since Monday. “When I got to know from my neighbours about his activities, he denied it. I slapped him. He then confessed,” she says.

“He was pleading for one chance. But if a man can do such a thing to his own children, he has no right to live. He deserves the harshest punishment," she says.