A 22-year-old pregnant woman was murdered by her husband, all because she couldn’t make him perfectly round chappatis. The incident took place in Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi on Saturday night (July 22).
The woman's brother found her unconscious in her flat the next morning. Her four-year-old daughter had been locked up in another room. The woman was taken to the hospital, but was declared dead.
Her daughter told the police that her father was angry because the chappatis were not round. "My mother was a good cook but the chappati shape angered my father," she said.
Her parents fought again on Saturday night and her husband kicked her in the stomach. After her daughter tried to intervene, the man locked her up in another room.
The victim’s brother said that she was not picking up any of his calls, and when he asked her husband, he told him that she was sleeping. So he broke open the door of the house and found her there. The husband cannot be located anywhere, and the police are looking for him.
The couple had been in a live-in relationship for five years before deciding to get married.
Just this month, the police arrested a 60-year-old man who shot his wife just for serving dinner late.
According to a family survey conducted by the government, more than 54 per cent of men and 51 per cent of women said it was alright for a man to beat his wife over issues such as serving inadequate food, neglecting home and children, and disrespecting in-laws.
According to the United Nations Population Fund Report, around two-third of married women are victims of domestic violence. But women don't report domestic violence partly because the Indian culture has socialised them into thinking it is acceptable. That's why we need to urge women to report crimes against them, and learn about the laws that protect them.
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