Following the arrest of Sooraj Pancholi on charges of abetting his girlfriend Jiah Khan’s suicide, the Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), a non-funded non-profit NGO fighting for men’s rights, gender equality and family harmony, has lashed out at the “skewed” abetment to suicide law in India.
In a release, the foundation has argued that in no other country does such a law exist and wants the government to bring in checks and balances to prevent its misuse and points out the following discrepancies:
n Sooraj Pancholi did not point gun at Jiah’s head and force her to commit suicide. Breaking-up with a girlfriend is not a crime. Reportedly, Sooraj also tried to get Jiah to a psychiatrist after she attempted suicide eight months ago. Why did Jiah’s mother, Rabia Khan not take her to a psychiatrist then?
n Wives and in-laws are hardly arrested when a husband commits suicide, but a husband and his family are sent to prison and presumed guilty until proven innocent when a wife or girlfriend kills herself.
n Many possessive women regularly abuse their husbands and boyfriends and threaten to commit suicide if he stands his ground. Sooraj’s arrest will increase such incidents.
n If a man commits suicide and blames his girlfriend in the suicide note, will the society show the same fervour in demanding the arrest of the girl involved?
The foundation also blames Bollywood for indulging in “spreading large-scale hatred against men” and stereotyping without looking at the larger issue.