‘I want to finish her off’

Author: Savie Karnel Date: 25 Mar 2008

Men who are terrified of being framed for dowry harassment harbour sinister intentions. Are loopholes in the law to blame?



Infosys techie Amit Budhiraja’s explanation that he killed his wife since he feared that she would file a dowry harassment case against him and his family might find a few takers.

Over ten per cent of the members of the Harassed Husbands’ Association claim to share the same feeling.

“Many men come to me and tell me that their wives threaten to file a dowry harassment case against them. They claim that it’s better to kill the wife than suffer the ignominy of a false case,” said Saraswathi, president, Asha Kiran, an association of harassed husbands.

Saraswathi recounted an incident where a man revealed to her that he wanted to kill his wife. “He claimed he couldn’t take the torture. He knew his wife would drag him and family to court,” she said.

“I advised him to drop the idea of revenge. I asked him to settle for a divorce by mutual consent,” added Saraswathi.

She feels that loopholes in the law are to blame.

“It’s because of weakly framed laws that such incidents occur. Some men are terrified of being accused of dowry harassment. As soon as the case is filed, the police arrest the husband and his family. There have been instances when wives have misused the law,” added Saraswathi.

In a recent case, a man suffering from TB was allegedly traumatised by his wife.

“After he underwent an operation, he saw a complete change in his wife’s behaviour. She wouldn’t take care of him and started withdrawing money from his account. When the man sought a divorce, her family threatened to file a dowry case against him. His frustration led him to harbour evil intentions,” explained Saraswathi.