Extend triple talaq to all communities, demands men’s rights group

The most ardent supporter of All India Muslim Personal Law Board perhaps could not have seen this coming -- Hridaya, a platform of tortured males based in the city have come out with the demand that triple talaq should be extended to all communities in the country to save men, and women, from harassment.
They held a ‘satyagrah’ on Rani Rashmoni Road in central Kolkata on Saturday morning to press for their demand.
Read: SC says no to automatic arrests under dowry law
Incidentally, Hridaya has about 5,000 members in West Bengal and just about 20% of them are Muslims, its convener told HT.

“Hridaya, through this satyagrah, demands equal divorce law for all communities. Triple Talaq is one of the most simplistic separation marital procedure and the same needs to be extended to all communities. Hridaya is strongly against abolishing of triple talaq as the same would bring disharmony in the society,” read a statement issued by the body.
“Our decision has nothing to do with our Muslim members. We view triple talaq as a convenient, hassle-free way of ending troublesome relationships where the breakdown in irreversible,” convener of the satyagrah, Suprotim Ghosh, told HT, admitting that the demand for extending the benefits of triple talaq to all communities will be considered a bit outlandish.
Read: PM Narendra Modi to Muslim community: ‘Triple talaq shouldn’t be seen from political prism’
Incidentally, West Bengal has often clocked the highest number of cases under IPC section 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) in the country. In 2012, it accounted for nearly 19% of the total cases registered in India under this controversial section.

Braving heat and humidity of end-April, Ghosh and members of his organisation assembled on Rani Rashmoni Road from 11 on Saturday morning. They held aloft placards pleading for quick end to troublesome husband-wife relations.
Read: Muslim personal law board’s support for triple talaq on WhatsApp is ludicrous
Incidentally, as the day of final hearing of triple talaq by the supreme court -- May 11 -- draws near, the camps on both sides of the divide are conducting their last minute campaign. A satyagraha was also carried out in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
“In the absence of simplistic separation law, the warring couples have to run from pillar to post in court rooms for separation and thus the most productive life of women and men are wasted,” argued Hridaya members. “While a quick end to the agony allows both to start a new life.”
They have also claimed that banning triple talaq will also increase domestic violence. “In many cases children are the worst sufferers of estranged couples living under the same roof,” said another member.
-
Rain brings respite to Haryana
The early morning rains reported in most parts of Haryana on Monday brought respite from scorching heat in both the rural and urban parts of the state. As per reports of the meteorological and agriculture department at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, light to heavy rainfall was witnessed in parts of Ambala, Gurugram, Kurukshetra, Kaithal Karnal, Fatehabad, Mahendergarh, Jhajjar, Yamunanagar, Rohtak, Panchkula, Panipat, Sonepat and Jind districts.
-
Haryana: Seven former Congress leaders return to party fold
Seven former Congress leaders rejoined the party in Chandigarh on Monday. Among the rejoiners are Sharda Rathore, Ram Niwas Ghorela, Naresh Selwal, Rakesh Kamboj, Rajkumar Valmiki, Zile Ram Sharma and Subhash Chaudhary, who had quit the party to join the BJP, HJC or contest as an Independent. Besides, former INLD MLA Parminder Singh Dhul, who had contested in 2019 on a BJP ticket, and Kishanlal Panchal of the LSP also joined the Congress.
-
Sexual offences against a child: Parents can’t strike a compromise, rules HC
The victim child and her parents can't strike a compromise in the cases of sexual offence against the minor, the Punjab and Haryana high court has ruled.
-
Haryana: Father arrested for raping 6-year-old girl
A man was arrested for allegedly raping his six-year-old daughter at a factory, which was shut down for the last many years at Rewari's Dharuhera area, police said on Monday. A spokesperson of Rewari police said the man has been booked under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) and the girl has been admitted to a hospital.
-
Hisar: Body of one farmer retrieved from tubewell pit
A day after two farmers were trapped in a 40ft deep tubewell pit after a portion of land collapsed on them at Hisar's Siarwa village, army and NDRF teams pulled out the body of one of them in the wee hours of Monday. Former Haryana finance minister Sampat Singh, deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa and district administrative officials attended the funeral of Jagdish's.