Men's rights movement in India

The men's rights movement in India is composed of various independent men's rights organisations in India. Proponents of the movement support the introduction of gender-neutral legislation and repeal of laws that they believe are biased against men.

Indian men's rights activists are organised around legal issues such as anti-dowry laws, divorce, and child custody, which they believe are biased against men. They also assert that the frequency of domestic violence against men has increased over time with many cases going unreported as men are shamed into not reporting abuse or fear false accusations against them in reprisal. Some men's rights activists also consider India's rape reporting laws and sexual harassment laws in India to be biased against men.

The first men's rights organisations in India sprouted in the 1990s in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Lucknow, with the cities respectively being home to the groups Pirito Purush (The Persecuted Man), Purush Hakka Samrakshan Samiti (Committee for the Protection of Men's Rights), and Patni Atyachar Virodhi Morcha (Protesting Torture by Wives). These groups demanded rights for men, in particular husbands, and shared the view that they needed to undo some of the reforms achieved by feminists. The three groups were formed in response to alleged abuse of Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code.

Subsequently, a helpline for battered men was started. "Save Indian Family" was founded on 9 March 2005 by the unification of a number of family's rights organisations across India. On 19 November 2007, the Save Indian Family Foundation celebrated International Men's Day for the first time in India.

In September 2008, SIFF filed a complaint against a Kitply plywood commercial to the Advertising Standards Council of India, for portraying a wife slapping her husband on her wedding day because of a creaking bed, alleging that the ad promoted domestic violence against men by portraying it as humorous. In the same month, Chennai-based organisation Indiya Kudumba Pathukappu Iyaakam, complained against a Pond's ad which labelled men as wife-beaters and an ICICI Prudential Insurance commercial which allegedly portrayed verbal and economical abuse against men.

The NGO 'Child's Right and Family Welfare' was formed in 2009 to demand fairer laws for men, including better child custody and access laws. In April 2010, when Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik was accused of adultery by a woman from Hyderabad, Ayesha Siddiqui, just prior to his marriage to tennis player Sania Mirza, SIFF released a statement in support of Malik demanding that his passport be returned. It added its concerns over such misuses of Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. In 2009, the head of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Renuka Chowdhury, agreed to meet men's rights activists to listen to their concerns about biased legislation. On 25 June 2009, the activists were invited to discuss possible changes to these laws. However, the ministry changed the agenda of the meeting on 24 June, and ministry officials announced they were "unwilling to accept any flaws in current laws." This angered the activists and resulted in a large number of complaints to the Indian government. A week later, government officials indicated they would indeed review the current laws.

In September 2012, the then Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Women and Child Development, Krishna Tirath proposed a bill that would make it mandatory for husbands to pay a salary to their wives. This move was criticised by men's rights groups and they sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention in the matter.

In late 2012, Satyamev Jayate, an Indian TV show hosted by actor Aamir Khan, was criticized by men's rights activists. According to Anil Kumar, co-founder of SIFF, Khan had portrayed men negatively on the show and had projected only one side of the domestic violence issue. In December 2012, about 15,000 men pledged to boycott Khan's film Talaash. Phanisai Bhardwaj, a Lok Satta Party candidate in Karnataka assembly polls, was found out to be a member of Centre for Men's Rights, against the Section 498a of IPC and reservations in jobs or education, after he made a post on Facebook in April 2013. He faced a protest campaign against him on the blogosphere, which called the Lok Satta Party 'anti-women' and 'casteist.' Jayprakash Narayan, founder of Lok Satta Party, called Bhardwaj's position on women "unacceptable, and he was subsequently asked to withdraw his nomination. In August that same year, Hridaya, a Kolkata-based NGO raised concerns about the proposed Marriage Laws (Amendment Bill), 2010 which has been approved by the cabinet and cleared by Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by defence minister A. K. Antony. According to Amartya Talukdar, the bill, which introduces the concept of no-fault divorce and marital property is not fair for men. It will put the institution of marriage in jeopardy.