Domestic violence and extramarital affairs are increasingly common in India. Though domestic violence or intimate partner violence and extra-marital affairs is a worldwide problem, India is the most dangerous country in the world for women according to a survey carried out by Thomson Reuters. This goes to show that domestic violence is a major issue, especially in India more often than not owing to dowry.
Amid increasing cases of domestic violence cases in India, a shocking incident took place in Maharashtra. An actress named Preity Talreja has alleged domestic violence by her husband. She has posted photos and videos as evidence on social media. Along with physical violence, she has accused her husband of forced conversion, physical and mental abuse. The woman further claimed that despite presenting evidence, the police is not registering a case in the matter against her husband ‘Abhijeet Petkar’. The police allegedly gave her only an NC and said it is a family matter.
Preity started posting her ordeal on social media on December 29, 2020. At first, she informed that she had filed a complaint at Khadakpada police station, but police did not take any acion. She tagged Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray and said that she had filed a complaint against her husband. She alleged that he trapped her in #LoveJihad on the pretext of love and used her. She further alleged that her husband and his friends organized a fake Nikah (Muslim marriage ceremony) and convinced her for marriage.
Talreja further added that while her husband is not letting police file an FIR based on her complaint, she cannot procure the marriage certificate as her marriage took place in a mosque. She said that her husband is a Muslim and there is no proof of conversion. However, he uses Abhijeet Petkar on his legal documents. She also shared a video of her assault on Twitter. She said that police at Khadpara police station saw the evidence she presented but did not file a complaint.
On January 4, the actress wrote, “In India if a woman commits suicide, the system gets in a hurry to punish even innocents but when she’s alive and fighting for justice she’s only harrassed.” She further alleged that her husband does not like her first daughter visiting her house and staying with her.
Feeling depressed and troubled, she wrote, “I want Justice I am born Hindu will die as a Hindu it’s my request to all ppl [people] pls [please] don’t leave your daughters.” She further added that her family is with her and people can say whatever they want.
Talreja has also uploaded a video on Youtube where she wrote the whole ordeal. She said that she married Petkar as he showed her his innocent side and claimed that his ex-wife tortured him. He told her he had no parents. When there were some fights between her ex-husband and her, Petkar promised her to give her a better life and convinced her to get a divorce.
She also claimed that he promised to take care of her daughter. However, he said that because he was a Muslim, she had to marry her under Muslim law and allegedly arranged a fake marriage with his friends’ help. Talreja further claimed that she had caught him multiple times dating his female students.
The actress has stated that she has been violently abused by this Petkar and he had even assaulted her mother and daughter.
After learning about the case, netizens came in support of Talreja and demanded swift action against her husband. They tracked a man named Abhijeet Petkar and shared his photos on social media. In one of these photos, he was seen standing with an ulema. In most of the posts, he had written ‘Alhamdulillah’, a phrase often used by Muslims.
The article was sourced from Opindia.
