BHOPAL: A woman has walked out on her husband in MP's Shahdol district after he added two extra tomatoes in a curry. The couple runs a dhaba, and the wife was furious when she saw the extra-tomatoey curry and rebuked him. This triggered a quarrel and she left his home with their daughter. The man ran to the police, who are trying to convince her to return.
Tomato prices are in the red across the country, surging over 325% in less than a month.
It's selling for Rs 150-160 in most areas.
According to sources, the dispute began when Sanjeev Verma, a resident of Bemhori, added two tomatoes to a vegetable dish without consulting his wife, Aarti. She was enraged, and ticked him off, apparently saying that tomatoes were too expensive to be "wasted in such quantities". The argument escalated quickly and a hurt Aarti decided to leave the house without telling her husband. She took along their daughter.
Husband vows to not use tomatoes until prices normalise Sanjeev was beside himself when he realized they were gone. Worried, and eager to make amends, Sanjeev rushed to Dhanpuri police station, seeking their help in locating his wife.
Sanjeev told the cops that he deeply regretted using up the tomatoes and vowed not to use tomatoes in any dish until their prices returned to normal. Police began looking for Aarti and traced her to her sister's house in Umaria, a nearby town.
Police played marital mediator and began talking to Aarti and her husband, hoping to persuade her to reconsider her decision and return home.
Dhanpuri SHO Sanjay Jaiswal confirmed that the dispute was over tomatoes and also that police were trying to negotiate a resolution.