Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Promiscuity leads to most murders

A. Saye Sekhar

Adultery accounts for 40 per cent of murders in the city. Sociological and financial reasons contribute to strained relations, ripping apart the family fabric

VIJAYAWADA: Why murders? The causes are numerous. But the predominant causes that are claiming maximum number lives in the city are promiscuous behaviour (The police call it `sexual jealousy' in their crime investigation parlance) and love affairs. Adultery, love triangles and resistance by families in love affairs occupy the centre stage in these murders.

Almost every case involving adultery resembles one another. If a person is killed by his wife with the help of her paramour in one case, the paramour is killed by the husband of a woman in a few others. In some cases, the woman is done to death either by her husband on the suspicion of infidelity, while in others; the man is killed by his wife owing to a doubt about his "sexual loyalty" to her. Brother or father of a girl eliminates her lover in one case, while a girl is slain for rejecting his proposal by a maverick. Whatever may be the case, the reasons boil down to sexual jealousy in all such killings.

Murders are classified into numerous categories by the police. A study into the number of murders and their causes in the city proved that the cause for at least 40 per cent of murders was sexual jealousy.

Murder for gain, previous enmity, petty quarrels and dowry harassments did become causes for killings in some cases. Number of murders due to family disputes and property disputes occupy the second and third places in the list of causes. The city registered 32 murders in 2003; 45 in 2004; 39 in 2005; and 12 in 2006 so far.

Commissioner of Police Umesh Sharraf says that promiscuity among men and women are menacingly high in the city.

He says it is not exclusive to the city alone. A detailed analysis of causes of murders across the State too may point to this disturbing trend.

What leads a person to walk out on the marriage or develop an extramarital relationship?

Alarming situation

Psychiatrist Indla Ramasubba Reddy says women develop aversion to their husbands owing to excessive consumption of alcohol. Sociological and financial reasons too contribute their mite to worsen the family fabric. Attraction between men and women is very natural.

But such an attraction towards anybody outside the marriage is considered a social taboo in India. This naturally results in strained relationship in families, says Dr. Reddy. Financial reasons, as analysed by him, include greed for more money in dowry from the bride's family.

This apart, the earnings of a husband may not be sufficient for a family to make both ends meet, leave alone meeting the personal financial needs of some women.

This situation in a family is exploited by some persons in some cases leading to sexual jealousies.

Independent of the reasons that triggered off sexual jealousy, the accompanying table indicates the alarming situation as to how much this disturbing trend loomed large over the society in the city.

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