Husband joins monkhood, wife skips ceremony

At the ceremony in Surat. (Source: Express Photo)

Amid much uproar over the decision of a Madhya Pradesh-based Jain couple to become monks, leaving behind their toddler daughter, the husband, 31-year-old Sumit Rathore, on Saturday went ahead and embraced monkhood. His wife, Anamika (30), however, did not join monkhood under the ‘Shwetambar’ order of Jainism.

According to members of the community, Anamika could not take her vows as the family had not completed the legal formalities of guardianship and adoption of their toddler. Meanwhile, Surat District Child Protection Officer began a probe into the matter after Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) sought a report from Surat district and police administration into the status of the child — the three-year-old daughter of the couple, Ibhya.

The police also initiated an inquiry into the matter and summoned the couple along with leaders of the Jain community. According to officials, the couple submitted an affidavit to Surat District Collector M S Patel and Police Commissioner Satish Sharma, pledging to give custody of their daughter to her maternal grandfather Ashok Chandaliya, a former BJP district president of Neemuch.

However, officials said that the couple had not followed the legal procedures to finalise the formal adoption of their daughter. When it was pointed out to them, they decided that Anamika would not take diksha until the completion of the legal procedure, while Sumit would go ahead and become a monk.

“The couple had their religious sentiments of taking diksha, but they had not completed the the legal procedure of handing over their daughter in adoption to her maternal grandparents. We acted as per the complaint filed by a person to Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. We received good support from Jain priests and leaders of the community as they understood the legal point of the issue when we explained to them,” said the Police Commissioner.

Local Jain community leader Inderchand Kher said, “Anamika did not take diksha today. This was due to the problem in the legal procedures, as per the complaint of Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.”