One neglected issue in development study is freedom from violence, which is necessary for an improved quality of life. It has been commonly observed that the maximum physical violence in India is perpetrated against women. The extensive literature available on this issue reveals that violence and space are closely associated. The present paper attempts to explore the exclusion of Indian women from their own homes and that constructs a hostile terrain inside the home, which is the only claimed place for women. Drawing on secondary data (NFHS and NCRB), the author has tried to understand the problem of violence and its linkages with autonomy. The main purpose behind this exercise is to explore how identity, meaning and power are constructed, bounded by and contested through locations.
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