Sati is the practice through which widows are voluntarily or forcibly burned alive on their husband's funeral pyre. It was banned in 1829, but had to be banned again in 1956 after a resurgence. There was another revival of the practice in 1981 with another prevention ordinance passed in 1987

 

Published: 08/23/2006 12:00 AM (UAE) 

Woman Dies on Her Husband's Funeral Pyre
IANS 

India-Bhopal: A 45-year-old woman allegedly committed sati by burning herself on her husband's funeral pyre in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

The charred body of Janakrani of Tulsipar village, 120km from here in Sagar district, was found on Monday afternoon on her husband's pyre, shortly after his funeral. Her husband Prem Narayan Gond had died following a prolonged illness.

Police said Janakrani had left her house on the pretext of going to answer nature's call. "Janakrani's family members and relatives launched a hunt when she didn't return for some time and found her body on her husband's pyre," an official said .

"It appears to be a case of suicide and we are looking into the matter," Sagar Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shaid Abrar said over the telephone.

Women and Child Welfare Minister Kusum Mehadele said she has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

While police have registered a case of suicide, local residents consider it an act of sati, the traditional Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre that was prevalent among certain sects in ancient India.

It was deemed a great honour for women to die on the funeral pyres of their husbands and they attained the status of "sati mata". There have been many instances of women being forcibly dragged to their husband's funeral pyre and made to commit sati.

Sati was banned by the British in 1829 with Indian leader Raja Rammohun Roy among the first to stop the barbaric practice.

In Madhya Pradesh alone, the village of Patna Tamoli in Sagar district has seen three alleged satis. A special court had earlier this year sentenced to life imprisonment a woman's two sons and two brothers for abetting her death on her husband's pyre in 2002. They prevented police personnel from rescuing the widow as she was being devoured by the flames.

It was the third incident of its kind in the village and a National Commission for Women inquiry committee had observed a structure at the cremation site. It was constructed in memory of a sati that took place about five decades ago.

The worship of sati matas is more organised elsewhere in the country with many temples and devotees. The Ranisatiji temple in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu, for instance, is extolled as a testament to "feminine bravery".

 

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