work drives couples apart,Kalavati's familie's suicides, mental illness high among prisoners,

Work drives couples apart Debasish Panigrahi, Hindustan Times Mumbai, November 08, 2011 Email to Author First Published: 01:48 IST(8/11/2011) Last Updated: 01:48 IST(8/11/2011) Share more... 0 Comments Email print An analysis of divorce applications by the Mumbai police has thrown up some startling factors behind marital discord in the city. On top of the list is growing economic parity between men and women, followed by dowry demands, societal pressures, and incompatibility. The first-of its-kind study by the social service branch of the city police is based on data available with the police for the past five years, of which 1,354 divorce pleas were filed this year (see box). Five officers, including deputy commissioner of police (enforcement) BG Shekhar, took over a month to examine the records before arriving at the conclusions. “According to our findings, the divorce rate is highest (over 40%) in cases where both the spouses are earning. Their financial independence, unfortunately, leads to ego hassles and the simmering differences culminate in a bitter separation,” Shekhar said. Shekhar, an electronic engineer with an advanced diploma in software who has authored several books on crime investigation techniques, criminal behaviour etc., said: “The man expects his wife to cook good food and take care of the house, which is not possible since she, too, is working and has to meet professional demands. Both refuse to relent as both are financially independent,” Shekhar said. The next most prevalent factor, equally surprising given the city’s forward-thinking image, is dowry demands from the in-laws. “If you think dowry is unique to rural or semi-urban pockets, you are mistaken — in fact, over 25% of divorce cases in Mumbai are a result of it,” Shekhar said. The study has also thrown up a unique attribute of marital discord that is directly related to the economic pressures of city life. “About 20% cases of family disturbance are borne out of financial deprivation,” Shekhar said. “The desire or deprivation of valuables, ornaments or an overseas holiday, which are influenced by neighbours or peers, lead to problems at home.” The incompatibility of lifestyles between spouses accounts for the rest, about 15%, of marital discord cases in the megalopolis. “It happens mostly in cases where spouses come from different cultural backgrounds — for instance, one is brought up in a liberal city atmosphere while the other is from a rural or semi-urban place,” Shekhar said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Police to rope in expert counsellors Debasish Panigrahi, Hindustan Times Mumbai, November 08, 2011 Email to Author First Published: 01:55 IST(8/11/2011) Last Updated: 01:56 IST(8/11/2011) Share more... 0 Comments Email print After determining the potential reasons behind divorces in the city, the social service branch (SSB) of Mumbai police has stepped up efforts to save marriages by roping in professional counsellors. “Now that we have understood the patterns, we are going to engage professionals in counselling estranged couples,” Shekhar told HT. “Until now, we have been using traditional methods through our officers and women constables, but we are not professionals, and neither do we have the expertise to counsel couples who come from a wide spectrum of society. Whatever we are doing is based on our experience. But this is not enough,” Shekhar opined. To shore up its efforts, Shekhar said the SSB will employ the help of psychiatrists, professional family counsellors, and NGOs working to restore family harmony. “They are better trained and experienced, and have proven expertise in counselling,” he said. Shekhar said the police want to increase re-union cases by over 40% by next year. “We have saved around 375 marriages this year. Once expert hands are engaged, I am sure we will be able to prevent double the number of marriages from breaking up next year,” he said. The SSB has started holding parleys with authorities at some of the best social study institutes in the city, hospitals (private and government), and also recognised NGOs, to provide counsellors for the cause. Meanwhile, drawing inspiration from the United States of America and Germany, where governments reward couples in long-lasting marriages, the SSB plans to organise special functions — titled Sukh Samvad (happy communication) — to felicitate couples who patch up following consultancy by the police. “Home minister RR Patil has already endorsed the proposal and has given us a go-ahead,” Shekhar said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kalawati gets 1 lakh after 3 suicides in family Press Trust of India, Updated: November 08, 2011 00:49 IST email email Ads by Google Strategic Mgmt by IIM-C – 6 month program in Strategic Mgmt from IIM-C. 7+ yr Exp. Apply Now ! program.niitimperia.com Nagpur: Targeting Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, BJP president Nitin Gadkari claimed that Kalawati Bandurkar, a farmer's widow from Vidarbha, got no help from the government. Speaking at a function on Monday to mark the opening of crushing season at his Purti sugar factory at Belo near Nagpur, Mr Gadkari offered aid of Rs. 1 lakh to her. Kalawati, whose husband committed suicide in 2005, became the face of the crisis faced by families of farmers in Vidarbha's 'suicide belt', after Rahul Gandhi mentioned her in his Lok Sabha speech during trust vote. five years later her son-in-law Sanjay Kalaskar committed suicide because he could not pay back a bank loan, t this year Kalavati's second daughter Savita, who was ailing, comitted suicide. Mr Gadkari said though Rahul met her, no financial assistance was given to Kalawati whose son-in-law and daughter too committed suicide. The BJP chief criticised the government for "not being serious" about promoting use of ethanol-blended petrol which, he said, could save on petrol consumption. He said the BJP-ruled states such as Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh were offering loans to farmers at one per cent interest rate, while Maharashtra offered crop loans at 12-13 per cent. Even a luxury car can be bought at a lower interest rate of 8 per cent, he said. Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were present at the function. Rajnath Singh alleged that UPA government had failed to take concrete pro-farmers measures. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mental illness high among prisoners Published: Tuesday, Nov 8, 2011, 8:00 IST By Vineeta Pandey | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA There is a high prevalence of psychiatric illness among prisoners lodged in Indian jails and it isn’t surprising that more than half of them had history of substance abuse. According to a study published in the latest edition of the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, the psychiatric morbidity among prisoners is substantially higher than in the general population. Most inmates have a number of defined problem areas, with substance use, depression and anxiety disorders most prevalent. The study conducted by doctors of the Government medical college, Amritsar, and MM College, Haryana, in the Central jail, Amritsar, found psychiatric illness in 23.8% of the 500 convicts lodged there. These figures are similar to some other studies conducted in other jails in the country. In terms of diagnostic breakup, depression was the most common psychiatric disorder (18%). Dysthymia (a chronic type of depression) was found in 2% of the prisoners. The extent of schizophrenia was 0.4% though some other studies have found much higher incidence of schizophrenia. But authors of this study claimed that this variation was due to different study design as previous studies were done on criminals admitted to mental hospital, or on undertrials who were referred to medical college, while this was done in jail. Interestingly, 56.4% of these prisoners had history of substance abuse or dependence prior to detention —out of this 39.8% were addicted to alcohol and 5% were multiple substance abusers. At least 11.2% of the prisoners were dependent on various substances. The authors argued that high rate of common psychiatric disorders calls for the use of improved psychiatric screening instruments, improved assessment and treatment capacities in prison and an increased number of psychiatric inpatient facilities to care for inmates who are too unwell to be treated in prison. Agreeing with the study, Sunil gupta, spokesperson of the Tihar Jail in Delhi, said that most of those who come in conflict with law are people who are not normal mentally. “They are either in extreme state of depression or anger. No normal person can commit serious crimes,” said Gupta. A lack of impulse control, suspiciousness, disinhibition, paranoia, inability to trust others, delusions and hallucinations are some other reasons. Among prisoners with psychiatric illness, maximum (74%) of the criminals came from lower and middle socio-economic classes. In the current study, 500 convicted prisoners were interviewed, out of which 20 were females, mainly due the fact that majority of the crimes are committed by males. As much as 76% of the prisoners were from rural areas, 51.4% of them were illiterate or had their education up to primary. The study was carried out from 1, April 2003 to 30 th September 2004. The age of the prisoners ranged from 18-60 years. The mean age of the prisoners was 36.38 years, 50 % of the prisoners belonged to nuclear families. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13-year old falls to death from window The Indian High School student was fixing curtains when she accidentally slipped out of the window of her 11th floor flat By VM Sathish Published Sunday, January 30, 2011 Picture only for illustrative purpose (GETTY IMAGES) A teenager accidentally fell to her death from the window of a 15-storey building in Jawasat Road, Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon. Thirteen-year-old Asma Abdul Rasakh, a student of Indian High School, was fixing a curtail hook, when the chair she was standing on slipped and threw her out of the window and she died on the spot, eyewitnees told 'Emirates 24|7'. "Yesterday around noon, we heard a loud sound. It's only a little later that we learnt that a girl had fallen from the 11th floor window. Immediately a lot of people assembled and Abu Dhabi Police soon cordoned off the area. We don’t know how the accident happened, but two of the windows of the 11th floor flat remain open now,” said an eyewitness. Family members said the body is kept at the Central Hospital morgue and would be cremated in Abu Dhabi once the formalities are complete. The family hails from Perla, Kasargodu district of Kerala, India. She is survived by two brothers, Athif and Imad, and parents. Her father, Abdul Rasak, runs computer shops – Electra Computers and Casina Compters in Abu Dhabi. An official from Indian High School said: “She was in grade eight. We mourn her accidental death." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Student falls to death from 11th floor in south Mumbai PTI | Nov 7, 2011, 11.04PM IST Article Comments (6) Read more:Vaibhav building|Student falls to death in Mumbai|Gamdevi police station|Gamdevi in Mumbai 6 MUMBAI: A 23-year-old law student on Monday fell to her death from her 11th floor residence in south Mumbai while talking to a friend on her mobile phone, police said. Sharmi Doshi, studying law, fell from the balcony of the Vaibhav building in Gamdevi early today when she was talking to a friend on her mobile phone, they said. "She seemed to have lost her balance while speaking on her cell phone in the early morning. It did not appear to be a case of suicide. The probe so far also suggests there was no foul play," Sanjay Diwadkar, senior inspector at Gamdevi police station, said. The parents of the deceased and other family members were inside the home at the time of the incident, the police said, adding that she was found on the ground by the watchman of the building and was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Law student falls to death from balcony in Mumbai V Narayan, TNN | Nov 8, 2011, 01.45AM IST Article Comments (5) Read more:Vaibhav building|Law student falls to death|Gamdevi police 5 MUMBAI: A 23-year-old woman fell off the balcony of her 11th floor flat at Vaibhav building in Gamdevi early on Monday. Sharmi Doshi, a law student, was reportedly talking on her cellphone the mobile phone with a friend around 4 am when she lost balance and fell to her death. The watchman at the building heard a thud and found Doshi lying in a pool of blood, said the police. He informed Doshi's parents who rushed her to hospital where she was declared dead before admission. Said an officer attached to the Gamdevi police station, The Gamdevi police conducted a panchnama of the spot. "Prima facie, it is a case of accidental death. However, it is unclear why she was on the balcony talking on the phone at such an odd hour." Senior inspector S W Diwadkar of Gamdevi police said the post-mortem showed that it was an accidental fall and ruled out foul play. "She may have lost her balance while talking on the phone. The balcony does not have safety grills. Even her parents and family members do not have any complaint of foul play," Diwadkar said. Doshi's parents, who were asleep at the time of the incident, were informed of the accident by the watchman and they learnt about the incident when the watchman informed them. "The Doshis stay in a joint family and there is nothing suspicious about her death," investigators said. The police said they learnt through Doshi 's family that she had studied in the US for a few years before returning to India. A case of accidental death report (ADR) has been registered.