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Gradual increase in complaints to women’s grievance cell rings alarm in Pune
The first prerogative of the cell is to counsel people, said Sangeeta Patil, senior police inspector. Patil who was the former head of the cell, is now posted at Vishrantwadi police station. The women’s cell is now headed by senior police inspector Vijaya Karande who was once a posted at Chinchwad police station.
People from various walks of life approach the cell with their problems and seek police intervention. One is bound to find a couple of children running around the premises of the cell waiting for their estranged mothers to empty their heart to a counsellor.
The first prerogative of the cell is to counsel people, said Sangeeta Patil, senior police inspector. Patil who was the former head of the cell, is now posted at Vishrantwadi police station. The women’s cell is now headed by senior police inspector Vijaya Karande who was once a posted at Chinchwad police station.
Speaking about the issues faced by women, Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson of Maharashtra Women’s Commission and head of Baharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mahila morcha said, “ Of all the cases we receive, 60 per cent are of domestic violence. We receive an average of 4,000-4,500 cases annually.” Rahatkar has been the head of the women’s commission for more than two years.
While the women's cell provides counselling to women and men who have differences in a marriage, the extreme cases which result in suicide are registered either under Section 498(a) (Domestic violence) and/or 306(abetment to suicide) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at local police stations.
On July 9, Girish Surajprakash Pandey, 47, a resident of Magarpatta City inHadapsar was arrested for driving his wife to jump off their 11th floor apartment. Pandey worked in Mumbai and was suspicious of her character.
Ganesh Ramesh Dangepatil, 26, a resident of Samata Colony in Rahatani was booked on July 13 along with three of his family members for driving his wife to suicide. While charges of domestic violence were not invoked, the reason for her suicide was constant mistreatment on account of the deceased woman's poor spoken English, inability to cook food as per the family's desires and a breast operation she had undergone before the marriage which she failed to inform Dangepatil about.
Pankaj Ratan Pachpinde, 26, a resident of Thergaon was booked on July 10 for domestic violence and abetment to suicide of his 20-year-old wife, who hanged herself in their house. His wife had learned about his friendship with another woman which had led to marital trouble, according to the police.
