Thiruvananthapuram: Quotation gangs in the state are spreading their tentacles to even your bedrooms. There is no need now for estranged couples to fight prolonged court battles to get divorces. There is a mafia specialising in ensuring speedy divorces with the blessings of a political organisation that wants to prevent boys from marrying outside their caste or religion.
This is what Mr Sudheer Kidangoor, former principal of MG College, Thiruvananthapuram, has learnt from some cases he has come across. The mafia that operates a racket with the help of advocates and goons takes quotation from the families of the boys who have love affairs and marry girls from financially backward families. The girls are threatened to ensure that they don't move the human rights commission, police or women's commission and agree for divorce, Mr Kidangoor told DC.
A girl from a village, who was known to him, had told him of the harassment she faced from the gang to ensure divorce. She married a classmate of the BTech course, but she had failed in some papers. The two left for the US soon after the marriage. Meantime, the family of the boy got in touch with the gang members who told them that if the two stayed separated for 21 days, it was easy to get a divorce. Soon the girl was sent back to the state on the pretext of making her prepare for the supplementary examination. When she returned to the state, she was threatened by the gang to get a divorce or face character assassination. This led to an out-of-court divorce, Mr Kidangoor said.
In some cases, boys who were not willing for divorce were sent to a spiritual goonda, who performs black magic on them and tortures them. They finally succumb to the pressure and agree for divorce, Mr Kidangoor said.
In another case, a girl from a poor background had agreed for divorce after the gang threatened her that the family of the boy would seek compensation from her as she had cheated him by presenting false claims about herself, Mr Kidangoor said. The modus operandi of the gang was to press for out-of-court settlements by threatening the girl’s family not to approach the police, Mr Kidangoor said.
