E-Paper
2,973 married men have lodged complaints with the Bharosa Cell since 2019
Since 2019, as many as 2,973 married men have lodged complaints with the ‘Bharosa Cell’ seeking relief and counselling from the police for alleged harassment at the hands of their wives
Since 2019, as many as 2,973 married men have lodged complaints with the ‘Bharosa Cell’ seeking relief and counselling from the police for alleged harassment at the hands of their wives. The complaints range from wives not respecting their in-laws and listening only to their mothers to spending too much time online and on social media among other issues. According to data furnished by the Pune Commissionerate, as many as 603 such cases were reported in 2019; 477 in 2020; 708 in 2021; 834 in 2022; 180 in 2023; and 171 till date this year.
As per the Bharosa Cell, the rift between working husbands and wives has widened to such an extent that wives are seen frequently retreating to their parents’ house after which husbands are seen actively seeking assistance from the police.
Advocate Milind Pawar said that men tend to approach the police when they feel harassed by their wives’ actions such as putting pressure on them from various quarters (maternal side, close friends etc.). What has also come to the fore is that disputes take place between husbands and their spouses over petty matters such as looking after children, spending more time on mobile phones and asking husbands to complete the household chores. At times, spouses are even found levelling false allegations against their husbands to corner them, Pawar said. The Bharosa Cell has played an important role in counselling estranged couples and saving marriages that once hit a rough patch in the larger interest of extended family and children.
What’s more, in July 2023, advocate Mahesh Tiwari filed a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking the court’s direction to the National Human Rights Commission on the issue of suicide committed by married men and on accepting the complaints of men suffering from domestic violence. The public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the SC sought that a ‘National Commission for Men’ be constituted and guidelines be framed for married men suffering domestic violence. The plea filed by advocate Tiwari referenced National Crime Records Bureau data published in 2021 stating that as many as 81,063 out of the 164,033 people who committed suicide that year were married men while the remaining 28,680 people were married women.
A crime branch (CB) official manning the Bharosa Cell said, “The Bharosa Cell functions as a policing scheme for the community, and aims for security and safety of the people. It tries to bridge the gap between the aspirations and needs of the community and the police services that the department is mandated to render by law. It aims at creating a positive impact on the prevention of crime. The cell provides professionalised services of the Women’s Grievance Redressal Cell in the form of counselling, legal assistance, police protection, medical help, psychological services, and temporary shelter under one roof. We have been able to provide relief to several families and have saved marriages through counselling. All complaints lodged by men are taken on record and suitable legal counsel is provided.”
Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said that top priority is given to counselling and dispute resolution at the time of registration of such complaints to precipitate a meaningful resolution to disputes between couples.
