Cruelty against women in Gurugram: 57% jump in cases in 8 months of 2022

GURUGRAM: The city saw a 57% jump in cases of cruelty against women this year as compared to 2021 between the months of January and August.
Last year, 173 cases were reported in which a woman had complained about harassment or violence by her husband and/or her husband's family. Till August this year, the number of cases filed is 271, police records show.

These cases were filed under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (punishment for husband or the relative of the husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), cops said. Under the law, the accused can be punished with imprisonment for up to three years, as well as a fine.
"The section was introduced in 1983 to protect women from being subjected to cruelty by her husband or his relatives. It includes physical and mental harm to a woman. While there is a separate Domestic Violence Act, this section has a broader definition of cruelty, which also includes domestic violence and dowry demands. It also includes cruelty or harassment to an extent that a woman commits suicide," a senior police officer said.
Not just Gurugram, cases of cruelty against women have seen a rise in the state as well, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). There has been a nearly 40% increase in such FIRs between 2020 and 2021 - while 4,119 cases were registered in 2020, 5,755 cases were reported the next year.
A woman police officer said gender discrimination, poverty and unemployment are the main reasons behind the increase in violence. "NCRB data is based on the number of FIRs registered. But there are so many complaints which are never converted into FIRs because the complainants withdrew them at the last moment due to family pressure and other reasons. We get cases where a woman has been beaten up by her husband because he is unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. All their anger is poured on the woman in most cases. Also, our social structure, in which women are heavily discriminated against, is the root of all the violence," said Kamrainder Kaur, a protection officer.
On May 19, barely three months after her marriage, an MBA graduate was found hanging from the ceiling of her room in Palam Vihar.
Apart from a five-page suicide note, Ritu Yadav (25) also scribbled a few lines on the left palm and arm, accusing her husband and his family of constantly harassing her for dowry and stifling her dreams.
"I never wanted to end my life but I have no other option. I couldn't fulfil my dreams of being independent, opening an NGO, and solo trips. Cremate me like a single woman, not a married one," the note read.