Nuptial knot is losing strength among Kashmiri migrants

Jammu, Apr 20: Un-employment, frustration, incompatibility, tension are a few reasons leading to a rise in divorce cases among the Kashmiri Hindu migrants, living in exile since last 16 years in the country.

According to a survey, conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Centre for Minorities Studies, headed by a retired senior IAS officer, M L Kaul, militancy in the valley has affected the Kashmiri pandits by dispalcing them and robbing them of marital bliss.

The survey said the Kashmiri migrants are reportedly registering high incidence of divorce cases during the last several years.

According to the survey during the recent years the divorce petitions filed by Kashmiri pandits have increased by 35 to 40 per cent. Citing the matrimonial court records the Centre has in its voluminous report, revealed that in 1995 out of 250 divorce petitions filed in the state 30 petitions were from Kashmiri pandits.

In 2001, out of 976 divorce petitions filed in the court 300 were from the Kashmiri pandits. In 2002 out of 600 petitions 200 were filed by displaced people in the 25-40 age group. The survey revealed that during the last three years there has been unprecedented increase in the divorce cases filed by people belonging to the migrant community.

The survey, while quoting Mr Justice S K Jamwal, heading the matrimonial court, disclosed that prior to the migration there were a few cases of divorce petitions filed by pandits in the court. Mr Justice Jamwal said since the education graph in the pandit community was very high they were more aware of their legal and social rights.

After interviewing a large number of divorce petition applicants and noting the opinion of doctors, the centre has found that the main reason for separation was incompatibility. It said not only males but females too had filed divorce petitions in the court saying that their husbands are unemployed and addicted to drug.

Princy Bharti, interviewed by the experts of the centre, revealed that she had filed a divorce petition in the court because her husband was unemployed and a drug addict.

Shivani Dhar initiated legal proceeding against her husband last year when he did not stop consuming liqour.

''Ultimately I approached the court. I have a government job and can take care of my three-year old daughter,'' she said.

The other factors responsible for the increase in divorce cases include poverty, lack of congenial atmosphere in the shanties and one-room tenements, leaving hardly any space for privacy.

The report revealed that marital status among the migrants had undergone significant changes during the post migration period because of breakdown in the traditional family structure and influence of other cultures. The percentage of Kashmiri men and women marrying outside the community has increased to an unimaginable proportion.

It said prior to the migration intercaste marriage among Kashmiri men and women was a rare phenomenon. Before the exodus in 1990 late marriages in the community was not in vogue. It was less than three per cent but during the past 16 years it has gone up to 7.38 per cent in which people have been seen marrying at the age of 30 years.

UNI