The women?s grievance cell of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is besieged with complaints from an unexpected source ? husbands.

?More and more men are lodging complaints of torture against their wives. We have received a large number of such complaints over the past few months. Since ours is a women?s grievance cell, we cannot do anything about the cases,? deputy superintendent of police Neelu Sherpa, who heads the cell, told Metro.

However, the spurt in such allegations in the past few months has prompted the CID to arrange for counselling of the women against whom torture charges have been levelled, at SEVA, in Bhabani Bhavan.

?We called several women against whom complaints had been lodged to the centre. Most of them are educated and wanted to instil fear in the men. We told the women that they are violating the law. The counsellors tried to mend the marriages,? stated a CID officer.

According to Sherpa, 60 to 70 per cent of the torture complaints by wives prove to be baseless. ?We have found that in several cases, women lodge complaints only to harass their husbands.?

Often, both parties are at fault. ?We call them to our centre and try to sort out their differences. In some cases, women lodge complaints of domestic violence under Section 498A, which is a non-bailable offence,? she added.

Most of the complainants are aware of the law and its implications. ?They misuse the law only to teach their husbands a lesson. This is unfair,? remarked P. Ravi, deputy inspector-general, CID (special).

So, is a cell for men the answer? ?It seems to be a good idea. We do not have the staff strength to deal with the growing number of tormented husbands. It seems we will have to open another counselling centre next to the women?s cell,? stated a senior CID officer.