Note: Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh has been known as an area where crimes against women are common. A deeply feudal history and consequent economic, geographic and social inequalities in the region have resulted in an environment in which violence is ingrained in social relations and interactions. As a result, in an area where even today ‘sati’ is practised covertly, beating and mutilating women are not considered serious crimes.
Kidwai Nagar, Mahoba district. In a bone chilling incident, a young man hacked his wife to death with an axe in Mahoba district’s Kabrai block. The husband is still at large. The woman, Shobha had been married to Pappu, a resident of Kidwai Nagar in Mahoba only a few months ago. She had come to her parents’ home for a wedding in the family a week ago. According to her sister Aarti, the couple had an argument when Shobha stayed back a few days after the wedding. A few days after the wedding was over, Pappu called Shobha and told her that if she didn’t return home, he would kill her. As a result, Aarti went to Kidwai Nagar with her sister Shobha. On 9 June, Aarti and Shobha were sleeping on the terrace like most nights when suddenly Pappu came out of nowhere armed with an axe and attacked Shobha. He slit her neck before her sister’s eyes and as soon as Aarti woke up, he fled the scene. There was little that Aarti could do to save her sister’s life. Aarti said that the family had lodged an FIR at the Kabrai police station. The police arrived at the crime scene, inspected it and has sent the body for postmortem. The Station Officer at Kabrai police station Ramkewal said that a report under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC had been lodged and a search for Pappu was on. Click here to read original story