Few months’ back, I sat outside the family court complex in Bangalore along with another 10 activists. They went there to meet a judge regarding formalities for opening a new marital harmony-counselling center.

All divorce, maintenance, alimony, child custody battles are fought in this particular court. A man sitting next to me (who has not seen the face of his child for 2 years) pointed at the gun-totting police guards taking a handcuffed and chained criminal towards the black police van. He said “take a look, the judges tell the fathers to meet the children for an hour or so as the divorce, maintenance battle between the wives and husbands get to a temporary ceasefire during lunch break. In the background, the child sees these criminals and guards dragging them to police vehicles.”

A child who spends time with his father for 1 hour in background of chained criminals knowing very well that she will not see him again for another 3 to 4 months.

Many academic sociologists will wonder about visitation rights of a father. In India, it is very much acceptable if a woman violates a court order. In spite of court order, if a woman does not allow a father to visit the child, courts normally do nothing. Contempt of court does not work for women in India. Only after years of denial of visitation rights, a court can at most send a warrant.

But, what about the child’s right to see his or her both parents? Can the nation state of India deny a child, her right to see her father? If yes, then can we call such a state a terrorist state?

Now, some 100 men in Bangalore have started a “Fathers for Justice” campaign in Bangalore for a child’s right to see her both parents and grandparents. They have started taking tips from similar movement in Britain which fights against feminists.FathersForJustice in Britain