‘I saw a scarf hanging from the fan. I just packed her bags and brought her home’

Pooja and Satya Pal Prakash, parents of 25-year-old Ruby, tell Gulf News how they rescued their daughter from a toxic marriage. Prakash is a government official

“Iam glad my daughter is well-educated and working now. When she was 19, elders in my family insisted we get her married. Even though I am quite progressive, I did not resist the pressure to get her married so early in life. The boy’s horoscope was a perfect match with my daughter’s. All went well for two years, until Ruby’s husband began travelling frequently to [the north Indian state of] Himachal Pradesh, apparently on work. My daughter soon discovered that her husband was in a relationship with another woman. One day, when she returned home early from work, she was horrified to find him with that girl in the house. Caught red-handed, the two hurriedly left the house. It was sheer coincidence that I decided to drop in that same evening and found my daughter sobbing and distraught. Inside, I found a noose fashioned from her scarf hanging by the fan and a stool placed under it. We hugged each other and cried uncontrollably. I did not question her but just helped her pack her bags and brought her home.”

With her parents’ support, Ruby managed to get a divorce.