Woman Forced To Eat Powdered Bones To Conceive: When Will This Cruelty Stop?

In a horrific revelation, a woman in Pune was forced by her husband and in-laws to eat the powdered human bones of a dead body as a part of a black magic ritual advised by the local occultist to conceive a child.

The woman had filed a complaint regarding the same with the Sinhgad Police Station under the Pune City Police on Wednesday. Following her statement in the complaint, a case has been registered against seven people, including her husband, in-laws, and an occultist.

Woman Forced To Eat Powdered Bones To Conceive

The woman said that during several amavasyas, the victim’s in-laws forced her to indulge in some superstitious activities at home. During some rituals, the woman was forcefully taken to an unknown crematorium and asked to consume the bones of a dead body.

According to DCP Sharma, the woman was also forcibly taken to an unknown location in Maharashtra’s Konkan region, and her in-laws forced her to engage in agori practice beneath a waterfall. The DCP added that further investigation is ongoing and the accused will be arrested soon. According to police sources, the family is well-educated but indulges in such superstitious practices.

It is unfortunate to know that we are in 2023 and women are still being forced to bear a child by their spouses and in-laws. What is further shocking is that some well-educated families are blindly following superstitious beliefs just to have an heir. Pregnancy is a woman’s choice. It is her body, and every woman has autonomy over her body and life. Why is motherhood considered to complete a woman’s life? While some women wish to have a baby but cannot due to medical reasons, some women consciously and willfully choose to remain childfree. Because at the end of the day, it is her body.

It is one thing that in-laws believe in superstitious practises and can't digest the fact that pregnancy is a woman’s choice given that they belong to the previous generation. However, the spouse’s behaviour is inexcusable. It is the husband’s responsibility to respect his wife and draw boundaries with his family. This is the bare minimum a man can do for his wife. Falling prey to black magic and forcing women to follow sickening practices is atrocious.

Why can't people accept that a couple may be unable to conceive a child due to medical issues? If both partners wish to have a child but are unable to conceive, they should consult a gynaecologist. This is basic! Taking the aforementioned case as an example, why are in-laws quick to assume that something is wrong with the woman? If the parents are so particular about wanting an heir to their family, why don’t they make their son participate in all these ridiculous superstitious practices and rituals? Blaming women, taunting them, and forcing them to do things they are uncomfortable with isn’t new in our society, but when is this going to stop?

If one partner wants to remain child-free by choice, it is something that the couple should sort out on their own. Why do Indian families, especially the parents of the groom, think it is acceptable for them to pry into a couple’s personal life? It is distressing to realise how many women lose autonomy over their bodies and lives after marriage. And, sadly, they are taught to give in, adjust, and compromise by their own parents even today. Though there is still a long way to go, women coming forward and reporting such incidents is progress. It shows that they are breaking the system of subordination and standing up for themselves. The belief that it is the responsibility of a woman to bear a child for her marital family needs to stop! When is society going to accept that pregnancy is a woman’s choice?

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