Group helps couples save their marriages & cops their time

57 couples have been reconciled by the Samiti since its formation more than a year ago.

Like the Sonawanes, 57 couples have been reconciled by the Samiti since its formation more than a year ago.

A few words saved Puja and Kailash Sonawane’s marriage when she approached Malwani police following marital trouble in November last year. The two told the Mahila Dakshta Samiti, a community intervention programme initiated by the police, that they wanted a divorce.

“I looked at them and told them they looked good together, as if they were made for each other,” said Qaiser Asif Fasahte, a member of the Samiti. “I asked Kailash if he would be able to bear his beautiful wife being married to someone else after he divorced her?” Something clicked, and Kailash took his wife home.

Like the Sonawanes, 57 couples have been reconciled by the Samiti since its formation more than a year ago. The group of five women was selected by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 11) to form ‘Mahila Dakshta Samiti’ in a first of its kind initiative at police stations on November 20, 2012. Fasahte and a few other citizens, selected from different localities, came together to counsel couples and others in a family dispute cases.

Story continues below this ad

In 2013, the Samiti received 88 applications from women who had complaints against their in-laws or husbands. Of these, 22 were registered with the police as harassment cases, while 50 couples were reconciled. The rest were referred to the court, as the couples wanted legal intervention.

This year till March 1, the Samiti has received 15 applications, of which seven couples have been reconciled. In matters where counselling doesn’t work, the samiti has also shown that it can be aggressive. “Puja Singh (28) sent us an application, stating that her husband Rakesh had gone missing. We counselled her over a period of time and tried to trace Rakesh. A few days ago, Rakesh called us saying that he had run away because Puja had been taunting him for being unemployed. We warned him that as he had eloped with Puja and married her in a temple, she could register a rape complaint against him. At this, Rakesh agreed to stay with her. On Thursday, he took Puja to Pune, where he had found a job and a house on rent,” said sub-inspector Shekhar S of the Malwani police station.

Shekhar is the nodal officer between the police station and the community group in cases where counselling doesn’t work. “We take the case into police jurisdiction and ensure an FIR is registered,” he said.

“The police generally cannot interfere in family matters, which is where we come in. We are given applications of family disputes, which we have to resolve within a month by counselling,” said Fasahte.

Story continues below this ad

“We are not allowed to take cases on our own, they are referred to us only if there is a written application submitted to the police station,” said Fasahte.

Most cases, according to Fasahte, are related to dowry harassment and other family issues like abandoning the wife and remarrying to have a boy child.

megha.sood@expressindia.com

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram