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BENGALURU: A mother-of-two recently reported her husband to Parihar, the women’s helpline of Bengaluru police, alleging he had stopped taking a bath ever since the lockdown began on March 24 and was pressuring her to have sex.

This is one of many complaints that the helpline has been receiving, police officers said, as being huddled together at home for a long period causes friction in families and puts women at risk of mental and physical abuse. The problem is not restricted to Bengaluru, Karnataka or India. Police counsellors and mentalhealth services in many countries, including Australia, Britain and the US, are reporting a worrying surge in calls for help in domestic matters.

The said call to Parihar came from Jayanagar. The 31-year-old woman said her husband was a grocer and had refused to open his shop after citing a cash crunch to run the business. As the lockdown came into effect, his personal hygiene went for a toss and he slowly stopped showering.

The woman told police counsellors she repeatedly reminded him of the benefits of good hygiene in times of a viral outbreak, but to no avail. He allegedly demanded sex and when she refused, he hit her. “Their nine-year-old daughter started following the father’s routine, avoding baths. We explained to him the importance of hygiene,” said senior counsellor BS Saraswathi. In another case, a realtor in Banaswadi allegedly assaulted his wife and threw her out after she refused to cook chicken biryani. The woman had cited her increased workload and wanted to prepare a simple meal.

She has sought Parihar’s help to seek legal recourse.

