Barasat, Sept. 12: Frustrated with his wife?s cribbing, Enadul Mullick, a former army jawan, chopped off her tongue here this morning.
Halima, 30, is fighting for life at Barasat Hospital, about 30 km from Calcutta. Enadul, 40, has been arrested.
The couple had a quarrel this morning. The husband confessed to having chopped off the tongue to silence her. He also accused her of an affair.
North 24-Parganas superintendent of police Parveen Kumar said: ?During interrogation, he confessed to chopping off his wife?s tongue and blamed it on suspicion that she was having an extra-marital relation. We are cross-checking the charge. We are also examining if there was any other motive.?
After quitting the army 10 years ago, Enadul supplied grocery to retailers in the Jagadighat locality.
The police said the couple quarrelled often and the wife harangued Enadul for not earning enough for the family of five, which includes their children and his mother. This morning, Enadul blamed his wife for picking fights with him over trivial issues, accused her of the affair and ruining peace.
After an exchange of words, he took a betel nut-cracker and threatened her. He sliced her tongue when she dared him to silence her, the police said. Their eight-year-old daughter and five-year-old son were not at home then.
Alerted by Halima?s shriek, Enadul?s mother rushed to the room to find him sitting in a daze and her daughter-in-law writhing in pain.
The neighbours were stunned in disbelief but some of them also said that Enadul tortured his wife and mother.