Divorce
My name is Atul(34), and I live with my wife Muskan (29) and two children—an 8-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. On December 21, my wife and I drank vodka together. The next day, December 22, was my son's birthday. I had a drink before my wife came home, thinking it was an occasion to celebrate. When she arrived, we spent time together, ordered food from outside, and enjoyed the evening.
However, as soon as my wife entered the house, she started shouting at me and repeatedly pushed me. In response, I pushed her back as she was holding my hand tightly and trying to push me out of the room. Then, she poured some kind of oil on herself and tried to set herself on fire with a matchbox. I immediately put my children behind me to protect them while she kept saying, “Ab drama mein dikhati hoon tujhe” (Now, I'll show you the drama).
Soon after, my brother-in-law and mother-in-law, who had never visited my house before, arrived very quickly. My brother-in-law pushed me into another room, locked the door, and then my wife called the police.
When the police arrived, they took me to the station. They first confiscated my phone and made me sit in a corner. My wife filed a complaint on a plain piece of paper, but I wasn’t informed of what she had written. After a while, the police told me to apologize to my wife, which I did in her presence. Then, the police asked me to sign a document that my wife had also signed, though I was not told what was written on it.
The police gave my phone to my wife and instructed her to return it to me the next day. I visited my house three times to retrieve my phone, and I finally got it back on December 24 in the evening. During this time, my wife told me that she and the children no longer wanted to live with me and that she would take the matter to court.
The following day, she sent me four photos of herself showing injuries that occurred after she poured oil on herself. I have tried reaching out to her many times to resolve the matter, but she and her family have not responded to my messages.
This entire situation has left me mentally harassed, and I am deeply distressed. I am a low-salaried individual and have no knowledge of legal procedures. I want to protect myself and, most importantly, bring my family back together.
Please guide me on what I should do.