Chhattisgarh Woman Chops Off Husband's Genitals, Wonder What Forced Her To Do it?

Chhattisgarh woman allegedly hewed her husband to death with an axe. The incident reportedly took place on 25 September in Amleshwar village. Investigation revealed the deceased used to call his wife ugly and frequently taunt her about her dark complexion. Our obsession with complexion seems to be never-ending!

She allegedly attacked her spouse with the axe, chopped off his genitals, and killed him. Why the accused woman had to go through this length? When something goes beyond tolerance and becomes, unbearable extreme impulsive decision is inevitable. In this case accused woman did the same. However, any form of violence cannot be justified by its intention. But one can think of what pushes a person up to this length. Millions of women in India are caught in such unhappy marriages overlooking their self respect.

What Chhattisgarh Woman Murders Husband Case Tells Us

Let's figure it out from the current case. First, the anger piled up due to constant nagging. Nagging can make an individual feel insecure irrespective of gender. Also, nagging can bring the worst in partners. A similar thing happened to the accused woman. The relationship between partners gets sour, and the feeling of being worthless prevails. This could slowly push to insecurity and incompetent feelings and inculcate bitterness against the partner. One may start feeling resentful against her partner. It can cause anger issues in the partner at the receiving end. It can induce feelings of self-loathing and cause them to lose control. And if the nagging is about how someone looks and their skin tone, it could become a criticism of their existence. 

This case also reflects India's obsession with fair complexion has not gone anywhere. Gendered colourism, wherein dark-skinned women certainly face discrimination, especially in marriages. How much the deceased might have harassed the accused women to do such cruelty to him is unimaginable. Women often take drastic measures to break free. For instance, Susan Lucille Wright, an American convicted murderer from Houston, Texas, stabbed her spouse 193 times in the act of mariticide (killing of a husband). Her spouse reportedly abused her.

Few reports suggest women kill their male partners most of the time in self-defence or defence of their children or to break free from years of torture. Rarely do women engage in psychological terrorism against their partners. Women are sometimes helpless; the only way out and fight back against the men, who are far stronger and more physically aggressive, seems end of one. Again, violence cannot be justified irrespective of who does it.

Women who kill their husbands are likely to be isolated and financially dependent on their husbands and to have very poor social relationships. The reasons behind such behaviour are not explored in a broad perspective. Homicide by women against their spouses is a largely unexplored research subject, and there is a need to research this kind of homicide.

The views expressed are the author's own.

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