When does love turn brutal? The answer lies in the embedded male chauvinism and patriarchal muscle flexing.
In a brutal incident that will be inscribed in the history of heinous murders, a Delhi-based man Aftab Ameen Poonawalla allegedly killed his live-in partner Shraddha (26) and chopped her bodies into 35 pieces spreading it around the national capital.
On Saturday only police arrested Poonawalla after the deceased's father filed a missing complaint. As per the police, after Aftab strangulated and chopped Shraddha's body, he bought a fridge to keep the body parts.
For 18 days Aftab went out of his flat at 2 am and had disposed of the body parts around different localities of the city.
Who is Shraddha?
Shraddha used to work in a multinational company in Mumbai where she met Aftab. They fell in love and planned to stay together.
As Shraddha's family opposed the relation, the couple decided to elope. They came to Delhi and started staying in a flat at Mehrauli.
After a few days Shraddha totally got detached from her family and stopped responding to the family calls as well.
How did police get to know?
On November 8, Shraddha's father Vikas Maadan came to Delhi to meet his daughter. However, when he reached the flat, he found it locked.
He then approached the police and filed a complaint alleging kidnapping. Aftab was arrested by the police and upon investigation he revealed that they used to fight regularly as Shraddha was pushing him for marriage.
Love-based crime: Now mundane in Delhi
Shraddha’s murder adds to the numerous love-based hate crimes in Delhi. Earlier this month police arrested one Rohit Gupta, alias Sonu for allegedly killing his girlfriend for breaking up with him.
Sonu, a married man was having an affair with Salma who used to live in JJ colony, Wazipur. After arrest, Sonu who owns a grocery shop told police that he was feeling frustrated after his break up with Salma and decided to kill her. Salma was taken to hospital with gun wounds, however she succumbed to injury.
Last Month, in October, another case of husband killing his wife in front of nine years’ old daughter came to the news. Sanjay, a government school teacher stabbed his wife Neera in front of their daughter due to a minor scuffle.
Residents of Nawada Kakrola housing complex when complained to the police about the clashe, they reached the spot and found Sanjay had fled. Sanjay who belongs to Jammu was then arrested a few days later. Their daughter confirmed to the police about the clash that led to the murder of her mother.
In July this year a 33 year old woman committed suicide at Jaitpur, Delhi due to alleged harassment by her partner. The woman accused her live-in partner of harassments and said that she was forced to undergo 14 abortions.
The woman also alleged that her partner regularly forced her into sexual relationship on the pretext of marriage. Notably, in this case the woman was not working and the husband was bearing the cost of the couple.
These incidents from the last few months are just mole on the hills. Shraddha's killing again is pushing the question – how safe are our women in such violent patriarchal set up? How many Shraddhas do we need till we know that too many people have died?
