Catholic nuns and women activists have supported a Hindu woman who staged a unique protest against domestic violence in a western Indian town.Pooja Chauhan, 22, shocked people of Rajkot on July 4 when she took to the streets in her undergarments.
She later told reporters she resorted to such an act because she could no longer endure ill treatment from her husband and in-laws.
Rajkot, in Gujarat state, lies 1,130 kilometers (about 700 miles) southwest of New Delhi.
Chauhan demanded the arrest of her husband and his parents, who she said tormented her physically and mentally for bearing a girl child and not bringing sufficient dowry.
Soon after her protest, police arrested her husband and his parents.
Some Catholic nuns and women activists in Gujarat told UCA News the incident indicated failure on the part of the police to save women from domestic violence and society's indifference.
"It was sheer helplessness" that led Chauhan to take such a step, said Sister Grace of Navjivan (New Life) Trust, a church nongovernmental organization (NGO) based in Rajkot.
The nun was among representatives of a dozen NGOs working for women that met Chauhan and offered support after the protest.
Sister Grace said the woman has suffered constant ill treatment since her marriage three years ago. Chauhan told the nun she was harassed on the issue of dowry and her torments increased after she gave birth to a girl nine months ago.
Chauhan belongs to the Rajput caste, a conservative, high-caste Hindu community that prefers male offspring, the nun explained.
"In Indian culture, a woman would never venture to walk in her underwear in the streets, because of the stigma attached with it," Sister Grace explained, calling Chauhan "a brave lady."
According to the religious, Chauhan tried to meet Rajkot's police chief four times to register a complaint, but the chief's staff prevented her.
Four months ago, according to statements Chauhan gave to the press and activists, her in-laws threw her out of their house and no neighbor came to her help, "In fact, one of the neighbors even joined my in-laws in beating me," she told reporters.
Meanwhile, members of the Rajput community have supported Chauhan's husband and accused her of being a woman without character.
Another nun who works with Navjivan, Sister Vinaya, also commended Chauhan's courage in fighting her tormentors. The nun works at the NGO's office in Vasavad, 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) south of Rajkot.
She said she would have preferred that Chauhan protest in another way, but she does not consider the protest an obscene act, as some Rajput community members have characterized it.
"Her act is very inspiring for other woman to fight against male excesses," Sister Vinaya asserted.
"Her community members may have gone against her, but there are thousands of others" who back Chauhan's fight for justice and rights, the nun said.
Sister Meena Parmar found it "quite shocking" that a helpless young woman "had to walk for one hour" in her undergarments to register a police complaint.
Chauhan took the "extreme step" to draw the attention of a callous administration, explained the principal of St. Anne's School in Deesa, 250 kilometers (about 155 miles) northeast of Rajkot.
Sister Rahel Morris described the incident as "really shameful" for the people of Gujarat. The state's ruling pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian people's party) claims to protect Indian culture and social norms.
Sister Morris, principal of Our Lady of Pilar Convent in Vijaynagar, 90 kilometers (about 55 miles) southeast of Deesa, said the protest occurred even after the BJP leaders "made lots of propaganda about promoting women's education."
Chauhan's case suggests to Truptiben Shah of the NGO Sahiyar (women's friend) that Gujarat's justice system has failed.
Neither society nor the law-and-order machinery have been able to provide justice for suffering women, said Shah, a university professor in Vadodara, 330 kilometers (about 205 miles) east of Rajkot.
She lamented that society criticizes women when they take strong action to fight for their rights.
"We need a fast and responsive system to deal with such issues. Otherwise, there will be chaos in society," she added.
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