‘ Agni pariksha’ to test woman’s fidelity

Man tells wife to hold hot iron rod, AP police prevents incident

A man tried to test his wife’s fidelity on Thursday by forcing her to hold a hot iron rod in her hands.

Sources said that suspecting his wife’s character, Pattam Balakrishna, 25, alias Tanish, of Chillakallu village under Jaggayyapet in Krishna district had asked community heads recently about a course of action and was advised to put his wife through this bizarre test of fidelity.

They chose the village outskirts to conduct the test on Thursday morning. In front of a crowd that had gathered to witness the event, Balakrishna built a fire and placed an iron rod in it. He then asked his wife to hold the heated rod in

Women organisations want the AP Mahila Commission and State Human Rights Commission to undertake an in- depth inquiry

her hands to prove her innocence. If she was unmarked, she would be deemed pure, said sources.

Thankfully, the Chillakallu police arrived just in time and took the situation in control, said trainee sub- inspector N. V. V. Satyanarayana, adding that a few community heads had tried to stop the cops from interfering.

Balakrishna, who is a small- time toy vendor, was taken into custody. “We have registered a case against him for psychologically and physically torturing his wife,” said Mr Satyanarayana.

M e a n w h i l e , Balakrishna’s wife told the media that she was ready to undergo the test to prove her fidelity.

Women organisations want the AP Mahila Commission and State Human Rights Commission to undertake an in- depth inquiry into the incident.