Shraddha murder case: Physical violence most often committed by individuals with whom women have 'intimate relationship'

New Delhi: The brutal murder of Shraddha Walkar by her live-in partner of three years Aftab Amin Poonawala has sent shock waves across the country. Even a week after the murder came to light, horrific details keep emerging from the case.

Aftab allegedly strangled Walkar (27) and sawed her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in south Delhi’s Mehrauli before dumping those across the city over several days past midnight. She was allegedly killed in May.

Lakshman Nadar, who is reportedly a common friend of Aftab, earlier had set alarm bells ringing for the woman’s family after he told her father that they have not contacted each other for nearly three months. After this, Shraddha’s family allegedly tried to speak to her, but failed. They even checked her social media to find no updates in more than two months. This prompted her father to register a complaint with Mumbai Police that was later transferred to Delhi, according to Hindustan Times.

The couple’s families disapproved of their relationship, according to Lakshman. He further claimed that they had frequent arguments.

Their another friend, Rajat Shukla told ANI that the fighting began after Shraddha wanted to leave him but “couldn’t do so”.

“I was shaken to the core of my soul that my friend has been murdered. She told us in 2019 she was in a relationship since 2018… initially they lived happily but Shraddha started saying Aftab beats her. She wanted to leave but couldn’t do so,” Rajat said.

‘Why didn’t Shraddha leave Aftab’

Shraddha and Aftab were in a live-in relationship and this has turned out to be a huge topic of discussion on social media, where many have been asking why she did not leave Aftab.

From shaming the victim on asserting her individuality to telling women how choosing an unconventional life might make them meet the same fate as Shraddha, social media has laid it out for you on a platter.

Shraddha is among the thousands of women in India who are subjected to domestic abuse. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its 2021 report stated that of the total 4,28,278 instances of crimes against women, 1,36,192 cases were registered under the ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’. West Bengal reported the highest number of cases of cruelty against women by spouses or their relatives in 2021, the report stated.

Patterns of domestic violence

“Women’s experience of physical violence increases with age, from 16 percent among women age 18-19 to 32 percent among women age 40-49. The experience of violence is less common among never-married women than among women who have ever been married,” according to the NHFS survey.

The latest report by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) further stated that the experience of physical violence is more common among women in rural areas (31 per cent) than among women in urban areas (24 per cent).

Who are the perpetrators?

The NFHS-5 data shows that sexual violence is most often committed by individuals with whom women have an intimate relationship. “Among ever-married women age 18-49 who have ever experienced sexual violence, 82 per cent report their current husband and 14 per cent report a former husband as perpetrators. Among never-married women who reported sexual violence, the most common perpetrators were ‘other’ relatives (39 per cent), followed by a current or former boyfriend (16 per cent) and a family friend (12 per cent). Some never-married women mention stranger (5 per cent), teacher, father/stepfather, and brother/step-brother (4 per cent each) as perpetrators,” the report states.

About one-third (32 per cent) of women age 18-49 in India have experienced physical or sexual violence. The percentage of women who have experienced physical or sexual violence ranges from 3 per cent in Lakshadweep to 42-49 per cent in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and Karnataka, the data shows.

Early warning signs and correlates of violence in relationship

The NFHS-5 data shows that as many as 26 per cent of ever-married women report that their husband is jealous or angry if they talk to other men, 21 per cent report that he does not trust them with any money, 20 per cent report that he does not permit them to meet their female friends, 19 per cent report that he insists on knowing where they are at all times, 16 per cent report that he tries to limit their contact with their families, and 11 per cent report that he frequently accuses them of being unfaithful.

Types of spousal violence

The data shows that 32 per cent of ever-married women have ever experienced spousal physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their current husband or their most recent husband, while 27 per cent have experienced at least one of these forms of violence in the 12 months preceding the survey.

Of the acts of physical violence, the most common type is slapping, reported by 25 per cent of ever-married women, the NFHS data shows.

Besides this, 12 per cent of women reported being pushed, shaken, or having something thrown at them; 10 per cent reported having their arm twisted or hair pulled; and eight per cent reported being punched with his fist or with something that could hurt them or being kicked, dragged, or beaten up. Two per cent of women reported that their husband tried to choke or burn them on purpose and 1 per cent reported that their husband had threatened or attacked them with a knife, gun, or other weapon.

“The form of sexual violence most commonly reported by women is that their husband used physical force to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to (5 per cemt). Four per cent reported that their husband forced them with threats or in other ways to perform sexual acts they did not want to, and 2 per cent reported that their husband forced them to perform any sexual acts they did not want to,” it stated.

Reasons for physical violence

Based on the reports of ever-married women age 18-49 of their experience of spousal violence, husbands who have completed 12 or more years of schooling are half as likely (22 per cent) to commit physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence as husbands with no schooling (43 per cent), the data shows.

“Women with husbands having the same education level as them are less likely (26 per cent) to have experienced spousal violence than women in couples in which neither attended school (43 per cent) or one or the other has more schooling,” the data states.

It added, “Experience of spousal physical or sexual violence varies greatly with the level of the husband’s alcohol consumption. 71 per cent of women whose husbands often get drunk have experienced spousal physical or sexual violence, compared with 23 per cent of women whose husbands do not drink alcohol.”

Most common injuries

As per the NFHS data, among ever-married women who have experienced any spousal physical or sexual violence, one-fourth (25 per cent) have sustained some kind of injury, and the percentage who have been injured is similar for women who have ever experienced spousal violence and have experienced it in the past 12 months.

“Cuts, bruises, or aches are the most common types of injuries (22 per cent) reported by women who have experienced spousal physical or sexual violence. However, 7 per cent of women who experienced spousal physical or sexual violence report serious injuries like eye injuries, sprains, dislocations, or burns and 6 per cent have had deep wounds, broken bones, or broken teeth. Three per cent report having experienced severe burns,” the data shows.

(With inputs from agencies)

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