M A I N   N E W S

Divorce rate highest in Haryana
5,000 couples split up every year
From Raman Mohan

HISAR, Dec 21 — Divorce rate in Haryana has set the alarm bells ringing with more than 5,000 couples getting divorced every year. This rate is the highest in the country among states with comparable populations.

Inquiries by this correspondent from across the state reveal that on an average at least one divorce is taking place daily in each district. This is despite the fact that the courts grant a divorce only after they fail to convince the warring couples to make mutual adjustments.

Strangely enough, around 50 per cent of the divorce cases pertain to marriages in which two sisters have been married off to men who are brothers or first cousins. In such cases, if one couple fails to keep its marriage intact, the other is forced to divorce under family pressure. As a result, the matrimonial discord results in two divorces. A vast majority of such couples have a rural background.

Also included in this category are couples married under the “btta-satta” system in which a girl belonging to the bridegroom’s family is married to a close male relative of the bride in exchange. This system is back in vogue, especially in the rural areas where brides are becoming increasingly difficult to find because of the falling male-female sex ratio. In Haryana, the ratio has fallen to the lowest in the country.

Next in the order are cases where the ground for divorce is mental or physical torture. This factor accounts for around 25 per cent cases. A study of case files in different courts in the state revealed that the number of couples seeking divorce on these grounds is the same for both rural and urban areas. However, going by the statistics collected from these courts, a particular dominant community of the state is more prone to matrimonial violence — both mental and physical.

In this category, too, the worst sufferers once again are sisters married in one family. It is learnt that if one of the brothers is prone to wife-bashing, the other sister is bound to suffer from this affliction because she tries to protect her sister. The result is again the same — both sisters are likely to be divorced. It was found that in such cases the wives initiated the divorce proceedings and accused their husbands of being addicted to alcohol.

Dowry comes next on the list and urban families appear to be more prone to greed. In these cases, divorce comes together with criminal proceedings against the husband and his family members, especially his mother and sisters. Interestingly, undertrials and prisoners languishing in jails under the Anti-Dowry Act outnumber every other category. In most cases, the entire family of the husband can be found in the same jail.

Another interesting but despicable reason for divorces in Haryana is the husband’s rise in stature. Very often, boys hailing from the rural areas are married off in their teens to illiterate girls. If the husband later makes a career for himself and settles down in a town, chances are that he will divorce his wife to marry again this time to an educated girl whom he can flaunt in his circle. Such husbands include government officials and businessmen.

It is learnt that in most circumstances, the first wife, though officially divorced, continues to live with her children at her husband’s house in the village and their needs are fully taken care of. However, many of the self-respecting women among them prefer to go back to their parental homes.

Sociologists say the breakdown of the social institutions in the modern Haryanvi society has contributed considerably to the rise in divorce rate. They say in the yore most of the matrimonial discords were resolved by elders in the community. However, the past two decades have seen the end of societal pressure on individuals. In bigger towns, counsellors have replaced these institutions, but there is no such facility available in the state.