Women activists in the Capital have condemned the incident of marital rape of a woman reported in South-West Delhi's Palam area on Wednesday. The incident which came to light nearly a year after the December 16 gang-rape case has triggered a fresh debate on the issue of women's safety inside their own houses.
The 23-year-old newlywed woman has accused her husband of raping, sodomising and treating her inhumanly during their honeymoon in Bangkok earlier this month. The victim and her parents approached the police on Wednesday and got a case registered against her husband, who is presently on the run.
A senior Delhi Police officer said an FIR under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 377 (unnatural offences), was lodged against the victim's husband.
A day after the incident was reported, the chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), which has taken cognisance of the incident, reacted to the incident describing the act of the victim's husband “inhuman and cruel.”
Speaking to The Hindu , DCW chairperson Barkha Singh said: “The victim approached us a day after she approached the local police and we are now pressurising the police to arrest her husband soon.”
“I have met the victim and I could see that she has been brutally tortured by her husband. There were bruises and marks all over her body. Her husband has behaved in a manner which is not expected of a man,” she added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West Delhi) Suman Goel said: “The victim's husband is on the run ever since the case was registered against him. We have sent teams to arrest the victim's husband and are hopeful to nab him soon.”
Another woman activist, who has been pioneering the cause of women’s rights, said that the case has brought the focus back to domestic violence and marital rape.
Centre for Social Research director Ranjana Kumari said: “Society is replete with such incidents. Drunken men come home and demand sex from their wives and they have to surrender them to their will. They have no other choice as the idea of a woman protesting is still not acceptable in our society. Also, marriages in our society are not based on quality and choice.”
“However, things have changed as far as reporting of such matters is concerned. The amended rape laws and the awareness about such issues have given the courage to victims to come forward and report the matter. Be it the case against Tehelka editor-in-chief or the retired Supreme Court judge or against Asaram Bapu, women have come out and spoken about it,” said Ms. Ranjana Kumari.
