Why daughters become ‘guests’ in parents’ house, but sons are ‘permanent residents’

Alka DhupkarTIMESOFINDIA.COM
Dec 24, 2025 | 14:25 IST
Image: AI

This question, often not even acknowledged in Indian households, reared its head again when Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya left the family home after a spat with brother Tejashwi Yadav. What does the law say?

A month after publicly distancing herself from her immediate family, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya brought into the open a question that sits buried uncomfortably inside nearly every Indian family: can a woman live safely and with dignity in her parental home?

Rohini, after leaving her father’s house, made it clear that the tensions within the family were not new but had existed for years, intensifying over time. She alleged that she had been pressured into her decision by her younger brother Tejashwi Yadav, his close aide Rameez Khan, and RJD MP Sanjay Yadav.
Copyright © 2024 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service.