Ludhiana: In a unique case, an Indian husband has lodged a complaint against his wife for domestic violence in northern Ludhiana town, just a fortnight into a new law protecting women against all sorts of domestic abuse.
The Domestic Violence Act which came into force on October 26 recognises all forms of abuse against women -- including physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic abuse -- and offers added protection and compensation to victims.
In this case, it is the turn of the husband to complaint against his wife.
Paramjit Singh Lamba now spends his days sitting outside his house or in public parks, with a banner saying: "Tormented by wife."
Lamba, who is a bank official, claims that his wife has been ill-treating him for a long time.
Lamba says when he went home from Uttar Pradesh, where he is working for the last four years his wife assaulted him and refused to let him enter the house.
He also shows bloodstained clothes while narrating his tale.
"On the night of September 3, 2005, my wife attacked me. I was taken to the hospital by my relatives in a pool of blood," Lamba said.
Lamba is now determined to gain sympathy and gain access to his house once again.
But his wife's version of their relationship is different.
"He (Paramjit Singh Lamba), had a fight with our daughter, she had asked for a book, and he said inappropriate things to her, that a father should not say to a daughter, such vulgar things. Moreover, he hit her with shoes, and I as a mother had to save her. How could he beat his young daughter like this? He said that he will not let me go off that easy, because our divorce case is going on. It has been going on for the last four years. He wants a divorce," she said, adding that this was a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
However, Paramjit is paying Rs 2,400 per month for the expenses of his three children. He is also paying the loan, which was used to build his house.
Police officials say they will look into the matter and try for an amicable settlement of the issue.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 155,553 crimes committed against women last year - 68.810 of which were considered to be domestic violence such as dowry deaths and cruelty by husbands and family.
Although the law on violence against women is stringent, activists say that many times police are reluctant to register cases, the quality of investigations is poor and conviction rates low. On the other hand, there have been a number of women misusing the law to make bogus claims against husbands.
Several cases of cruelty to wives have surfaced in India after the Domestic Violence Act came into force, but this is the first case of a husband claiming domestic violence.
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