Two Men Behead Wives Over Suspected Affair, Parade With Severed Heads

Two recent horrifying incidents from the heartland of India shockingly reveal the alarming disregard for women's safety within the confines of their own homes. These incidents, one unfolding in Uttar Pradesh and the other in Bengal, reveal the chilling reality of two women who have tragically fallen victim to heinous crimes at the hands of their husbands, leaving society grappling with the unsettling question: Are women safe with the very men they choose to spend their lives with?

Barabanki Horror 

In the village of Basara, located in the Fatehpur Kotwali area of Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki, Anil Kanaujiya Rajgeer, a labourer by profession, returned home armed with a sickle, unleashing a ferocious attack on his wife as soon as he entered their residence. The brutality of the assault resulted in severe injuries, resulting in the grotesque act of severing Vandana's neck with the sickle.

Without displaying any signs of remorse or fear, Anil fled the crime scene, holding his wife's head and brandishing the murder weapon. The chilling incident  unfolded as horrified onlookers witnessed this horrifying procession along the village road. The swift response of the local police led to Anil's arrest, and he is currently undergoing interrogation.

Patashpur Tragedy 

This gruesome incident in Barabanki echoes a similar tragedy reported recently in Patashpur, West Bengal. Gautam Guchait, a hawker by profession, in a fit of rage, beheaded his wife, Phoolrani Guchait. Eyewitnesses recount the ghastly scene, detailing how Guchait wielded a country-made cutlass to sever his wife's head. The brutality did not stop there; he brazenly paraded through the locality, carrying the severed head and the murder weapon.

The shocking display of violence reached its peak when Guchait, seemingly unfazed by the barbarity of his actions, arrived at a local tea shop. There, on a bench, he placed the severed head and the blood-stained cutlass on either side of him. 

As investigations unfolded, it became clear that this gruesome act was not a spur-of-the-moment eruption of violence but hinted towards Guchait's belief that his wife was engaged in an extramarital affair.

This horrific incident is not an anomaly but a symptom of a larger issue—one that extends beyond the confines of domestic disputes. The perpetrator had also previously made headlines in March 2021 for trespassing into the lion's cage at the Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata, showcasing a glimpse into a disturbed mind driven by recklessness and a blatant disregard for personal safety.

The Disturbing Realities of Women's Safety

These headlines scream with stories of husbands resorting to barbaric acts, slashing and throttling their wives over baseless suspicions or trivial matters. The very sanctity of the home, traditionally considered a refuge, is shattered as women lose their lives to uncontrolled rage and brutality. If women are not safe within the confines of their own families, what kind of society are we fostering?

What is perhaps most alarming is the brazenness with which these perpetrators carry out their crimes, completely unfazed by the brutality of their actions. It shows a dark society where women are not safe even in the company of those they trust the most, where marital vows offer no protection against the threat of violence and death.

The rising number of cases of brutality within marital confines forces us to confront the uncomfortable truth about the safety of women in our society and why we must challenge the normalization of violence within intimate relationships. 

Views expressed by the author are their own