Man Shaves Wife's Head Over Extra Salt In Curry

To think that as a society we have risen from our prejudices on womanhood and the role they play in a household would be farfetched and utopian. Progress cannot just be accounted for by the positive stories where a man easily kills, tortures, beats and does amongst other things to his wife, daughter, or any other woman in a given social unit as he pleases.

Crime stories about domestic violence are a common headline when it comes to everyday news. Most of this violence stems from misogyny and sexism as well. These are two terms that we have acknowledged in most spaces online except when it comes to making policies to combat crime against women.

Recently, a 27-year-old man allegedly shaved the head of his 28-year-old wife over a dispute about the extra salt in the curry. This incident took place on May 8 to survivor Rizvana Shaikhm, who is a resident of Insaniyatnagar flats in Ahmedabad. The husband, who works as a casual labourer, allegedly physically assaulted her for food.

Suggested Reading: Man Kills Wife For Making Salty Khichadi: 5 Similar Cases Of Violence Against Women

Man Shaves Wife Head

The survivor narrated the incident to the Vatna police station three days after the incident had taken place as she was frightened and taken aback by the abuse. She was egged by her neighbours to file a complaint against the man. The survivor and the husband have been married for eight years. On Wednesday, the survivor finally took action against him by registering an FIR.

She alleged that on May 8 at 2 PM, her husband came home for lunch and she served him chapatis and curry. He allegedly did not like the taste and started abusing her verbally. She told news media that she asked the man to calm down while she makes something else but he continued with the verbal abuse.

When the survivor asked him to not make issues of such petty incidents, he started hitting her with a stick. She said that she threatened him by calling the police. That's when he allegedly grabbed a razor and before she could react, held her by force and shaved her head.

She allegedly cried and begged but it did not stop the torture and the man allegedly shaved her entire head. Hearing her cries, the neighbours came into the picture and asked her to seek help from the police. Shocked by the incident, she chose to file a report three days later.

The police charged the husband under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with causing hurt, uttering abusive words and criminal intimidation.

This incident is not a solo one. Women in India have lost their lives just because "entitled" men did not like the food that they are being served. It is horrible to find a woman in pain because of the chores that she has been doing out of the societal understanding of what wives or women are supposed to be doing in a household. Moreover, it's enraging to see the men in society, who think that they are entitled to the free service by a woman and then understand it to be their "right" to abuse them.

The views expressed are the author's own.