Another 'sati' in MP village

Bhopal: A 45-year-old woman allegedly committed sati by burning herself on her husband's funeral pyre in a Madhya Pradesh village.

The charred body of Janakrani of Tulsipar village, 120 km from Sagar district, was found on Monday afternoon on her husband's pyre, shortly after his funeral.

Her husband Prem Narayan Gond had died following 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," said a police official.

"Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide and we are looking into the matter further," Sagar Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shaid Abrar said.

Women and Child Welfare Minister Kusum Mehadele said she has ordered a magisterial inquiry to get to the truth of the incident.

While police has registered a case of suicide, locals in the area 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 eliminate the barbaric practice.

Clearly, it still continues despite the rapid strides made by Indian women in many other fields.

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.

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