The Awful Truth
Posted on 07/08/2002 8:49:35 AM PDT by dighton
It was a mythological rerun in modern times when a woman had to undergo agni-pariksha to prove her fidelity. The woman, belonging to the conservative Sakal Gihara community of Madhya Pradesh, had to hold a red-hot iron rod on her palms for 15 minutes under the vigil of community elders.
The incident was videographed and the police have reportedly seized the cassettes. Six people, including the woman's husband, were arrested on Saturday night, the police said.
Sangeeta, married to a person in Ujjain, had gone to Mumbai to attend a marriage. From there, she reportedly went to Vaishno Devi with a friend and returned to Ujjain after 11 days. But her suspicious husband refused to allow her entry and she had to put up at her mother's house in Indore.
Sangeeta narrated the turn of events to her mother, who in turn got in touch with the community elders. The panch members decided the woman would have to pass the khante se imaan ordeal and if she passed the test, the community would accept her back.
On July 5, some 200 community elders gatherd at a private place. Sangeeta was bathed and turmeric paste applied on her hands. Some peepal leaves were placed on her palms and finally, a red-hot iron rod put on them. Sangeeta had to hold the rod and walk a short distance after which she dropped the rod.
Luckily, she did not suffer any burns. But even after passing the test, Sangeeta is unsure of being accepted by her husband.
Sangeeta said after attending the wedding in Mumbai, she went on a pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi with her friend. She admitted that she had erred by not telling her husband about it.
The incident has sparked off a debate over the prevalence of such superstitions in this age.
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2002.
FMCDH
MP: Four more held in "agni-pariksha" caseIndore, July 8. (PTI): The police have arrested four more persons in the case in which a woman was allegedly subjected to 'agni- pariksha' by her in-laws and others here on July 5, taking the total number of those arrested to 10.
The 10, including the husband and mother-in-law of the woman, who had to undergo 'agni-pariksha' to prove her fidelity, were remanded to 15-days' judicial custody by a local court, police said today.
Additional Superintendent of Police, G G Pandey, said the victim, Sangeeta, went to Vaishnodevi along with her friend from Mumbai without informing anyone, that led her in-laws to suspect her.
On her return after a few days, her husband, Rajesh Sode, and mother-in-law, Champabai, along with others, subjected her to 'agni-pariksha' by placing red-hot iron rod on her palms to prove her fidelity, Pandey said.
A case has been registered against 11 persons, he said adding, Sangeeta's father-in-law was yet to be arrested as he is bed- ridden. Six of the accused were arrested on July 6 while four others, including Champabai, were held yesterday.
Pandey said Sangeeta, who appeared before the court, submitted a statement saying she had decided to undergo 'agni-pariksha' on her own free will and nobody pressurised her to do so. But even after that, the court remanded the arrested to 15 days of judicial custody.
The accused have revealed to the police that the incident was videographed in order to show it to their community members in Mumbai, Pandey added.
I don't suppose that this is anything like giving oo-mox to a Ferengi.
Although, I'm not sure I would like to hear most of them sing...
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