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Punjab sees eight-fold increase in domestic violence cases amid lockdown
The maximum cases are pouring in from Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mohali and Ropar districts in the state
Last week, the Punjab State Commission for Women (PSCW) received a frantic call from the mother of a three-month-old girl that her in-laws and husband were taking the infant away. A team from the commission, along with cops, was immediately sent to Ajnala, a town in Amritsar, from where the complaint was received. It was only after hours of counselling that the matter was resolved and the infant was in the mother’s care again.
This is just one of the several such calls that the commission receives everyday. Since March 24, when the curfew was imposed, the commission got 800 distress calls and has recorded an eight-fold increase in the number of domestic violence cases.
“Earlier if we received 25 calls a day, only three to four calls pertained to domestic violence out of the total. Ever since the curfew has been imposed, all the 25 to 30 calls are related to domestic violence only,” says Manisha Gulati, chairperson, PSCW.
According to officials dealing with the cases, the maximum cases are pouring in from Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mohali and Ropar districts in the state. A majority of these are from the educated class where working women, who are ordinarily at work, are finding themselves on the receiving end of harassment and approaching the commission for help.
Gulati adds, “Another reason is that women aren’t approaching the police directly as they fear that presence of cops may give an impression that it is a Covid case. Majority of the complainants are in the age group of 30 to 35 and are working women now confined to homes.” She added that there is also a significant number of complaints from rural areas in the state but majority of those are from housewives above the age of 40.
Recalling another such complaint that the commission received from Mohali, Gulati says the woman called to say that her in laws have pushed her out of the house. Gulati added that most of the complaints are received directly on their helpline number (7814103253).
Ludhiana assistant commissioner of police Prabhjot Kaur says their first response is to provide help to the victim. “Due to social distancing norms, we are not able to counsel couples fighting dispute these days. Women who are harassed cannot leave their homes which adds to the problems.”
Gulati adds that stereotypical ideologies exist in many parts of the state. “There are some highly modern literate families who may be fighting over trivial issues. On the other hand, there are uneducated people in rural areas who may be very progressive,” she says.
The commission is also receiving a lot more complaints from women who are suffering from depression in the lockdown. “An elderly woman from Ludhiana called our helpline number and said she was very lonely. Her two sons in Mohali and Jalandhar are settled with their families and do not have time for her. She told us that she locks herself up and bites herself,” narrated Gulati. The woman was told that she is suffering from an illness which needs immediate treatment and we provided her help.
According to inspector general of police, Jalandhar Range, Naunihal Singh, the cases of domestic violence will further spike when the lockdown ends. “Police are doing the best they can. But since its a lockdown, many of the complainants are forced to remain at homes. The number is expected to further rise when things return to normal,” he says.
