Director Nagraj Manjule accused of domestic violence

Sunita, the wife of National Award winner Nagraj Manjule parted ways with him two years ago. However, only now has she opened up about the abuse and ordeal she suffered during her marriage to Nagraj. 

Sunita claimed she was mistreated by the director and his family and was treated as a housemaid. She also alleged that she had been physically beaten by Nagraj when she refused to abort their child for the third time. Nagraj had allegedly forced her undergo abortions twice before.

When Nagraj won his National Award, everyone from his family went for the function in Delhi, but Sunita was missing from that event. Sunita now claims her absence was because she had been locked up at home in Solapur. 

If the allegations made by the director's ex-wife are true, they are in sharp contrast to his tall claims on how he wants to change society’s outlook on women, particularly for the Dalits. 

Currently, Sunita is living with her parents and earns a living by doing household work. Their separation was filed in 2012, but the case went on for two years. Later Sunita's parents opted for an out-of-court settlement as they couldn’t afford the fees of the lawyer. 

• national award
• Nagraj Manjule
• Sairat