Man Pushes Wife And Child Off Train: Should Suspicions Of Infidelity Be Punished With Death?

Suspicious of Infidelity can become a psychological nightmare leading to a heinous criminal mindset. Recently, in a shocking incident, a man out on bail pushed his wife and child off the train in Pune. The child lost her life and the wife is in critical condition, currently in hospital. The man suspected infidelity on the side of the wife, so decided to kill her as a punishment. Infidelity or not, who gives him the right to take someone's life? When will men understand women are not their property?

The accused, identified as Aakash Bhosale was out on bail for murdering his first wife. He married his second wife four years ago and had a girl child with her. However, he was arrested later in Padmavati. During interrogation, Bhosale revealed the motive for the murder was his wife's infidelity. Bhosale said that he convinced his wife and daughter to go on an outing to Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai. When the train was about to reach Khadki station, Bhosale called his wife who was carrying the two-year-old daughter to the door and instantly pushed her. As the train stopped, Bhosale fled from the spot. According to TOI, Bhosale has seven body offences to his name and was out on bail in the case of his first wife's murder. Bhosale’s wife financially supported the family by working as domestic help.

Man Attempt Murder Of Wife Over Infidelity

There are two threads that lead to this tragedy. One is the recklessness of the law system in letting a murderous man out in open. And second is the patriarchal conception that deals with an infidel man and a woman differently.

The law system is responsible for allowing a man accused of seven cases on him to be out on bail. The accused is clearly not safe for society and his previous murder case of his own wife was a clear warning that he doesn’t respect his own family, let alone others in society. The policies of granting bail must be reconsidered by keeping society’s safety in mind.

Secondly, let us dive into the patriarchal reaction to a woman’s infidelity. In our society, if a woman commits infidelity, she is punished, shamed, and blamed. Perhaps murdered too! But if a man is an infidel, it is considered as his tendency because maybe the wife didn’t keep him happy enough. In our society, it is assumed that marriage is a woman’s responsibility who must sustain it no matter how bad it gets. And in such a situation, if she has an extra-marital affair, she is condemned for drifting away from her responsibilities. She is accused of being dishonest, aberrant, and irresponsible. It is conceived as impossible for a woman to have desires and needs. No one thinks about the possibility that a woman might not be happy in a marriage and hence have a similar tendency of seeking it outside like men.

Moreover, infidelity is not a crime. It might be a ground for divorce but certainly not deserving of any sort of punishment. In this case, Bhosale just suspected his wife of infidelity. He was not even sure about it and still decided to kill her. Just imagine how his reaction would be if he actually saw her with another man. I don't stand for infidelity, but violence is not the answer to it. Death cannot be the sentence for infidelity.

Why aren’t men considered responsible for sustaining a marriage? Why aren’t men considered wrong when they have extra-marital affairs? Why do people tend to ignore and forgive men who are infidels? Why are all the disadvantages of infidelity born by women?

It is high time we examine the way we deal with infidelity. Rather than seeing it from the perspective of patriarchy, we need to see the reason behind it. Infidelity happens because there are loopholes in marriages. So rather than punishing infidelity, let us consider it as a warning sign for a bad relationship. So, Bhosale should have reflected on what he gave to his marriage than murdering his wife, who took care of their daughter in his absence.

Views expressed are the author's own.

Suggested Reading: Madhya Pradesh: Tribal Woman Accused Of Infidelity Assaulted, Paraded In Town