[Horrific] Man rapes minor daughter; panchayat thrashes both

Also read: Where husbands rape wives: What if Mother Goddess could talk?

Our Kolkata domestic help Mangaladi’s oldest daughter, Shukuli, is visiting us in Kolkata, with her five-month-old son. Yesterday, the child took part in "Mukhe Bhaat", a rice-eating ceremony, in West Bengal. Mangaladi's son tells me she was beaten by her husband and in-laws over a petty argument regarding her cooking and the food not being served on time for guests.

I summon Mangaladi at once and ask her why she doesn’t confront her son-in-law and threaten him, considering he's a loafer and doesn't support his family. I know for a fact that he blows up Shukuli's hard-earned money. She has anyway been under a strain ever since she lost her first child shortly after conceiving.

Mangaladi’s son interrupts me and says her daughter has instructed her mother not to intervene in her domestic affairs. She also has no right to utter strong words about her "jamai". (Son-in-laws are treated like royalty, more so in eastern India. There is even a day, "Jamai Shashti", dedicated to them, to stuff their mouths with the most exotic fare and shower them with rich gifts.)

Mangaladi feels that confronting her son-in-law will invoke the wrath of her daughter's in-laws. They will use this to torture Shukuli because it was her decision to marry the boy and so she must suffer.

I suggest Mangaladi to file a case of domestic violence against the family. There are laws to support an abused woman. Read more.