‘When I asked for an amicable separation, I was told that my professional background & achievements were irrelevant & was advised to take up work as a cleaner or in a supermarket in the small village where we lived in Austria, simply to retain the joint custody of my children.’
IMAGE: Celina Jaitley with her children at the grave of her baby son, Shamsher. Photograph: Kind courtesy Celina Jaitley/Instagram
Celina Jaitley’s personal ordeal continues as she remains separated from her three children Winston, Viraaj (both aged 13) and Arthur, 8.
The actress has accused her husband Peter Haag of violence and cruelty, and has filed for divorce.
She wrote about the abuse she has been facing in a lengthy Instagram post.
‘I Lost My Children the Day I Chose to Leave Austria to Protect My Dignity, My Children & My Brother,’ she posted.
‘This is for all the men & women who reached out with their stories of abusive marriages. You are not alone.’
Celina’s cry for help
’11 Oct 2025, at 1 AM, I left Austria with the assistance of neighbours to escape what I had experienced as systematic oppression & abuse. I was compelled to return to India with only a minimal sum of money in my bank account to navigate the rest of my life,’ she posted.
‘In India, I had to approach the court simply to enter & access my own house, a property purchased by me in 2004, long before my marriage, which my husband is now seeking to claim as his own. In order to do all this, I also had to take a big loan.
‘Despite joint custody & a subsisting order of the Austrian Family Court, I am presently denied any communication with my 3 children & I am heartbroken!
‘There has been repeated interference with my children’s access to me, including exposure to selective media narratives, resulting in obstruction of regular parent child communication, as well as brainwashing & intimidation to compel them to say things against me, a mother who has done nothing but care for them since the day they were born, moving from one country to another to support the career of their father.
‘In early Sept, I was served a divorce notice by my husband on the pretext of receiving a gift ordered for our 15th wedding anniversary at the local post office, to which I was driven by him.
‘Thereafter, I repeatedly and legally sought an amicable separation in good faith, prioritising only the welfare of the children. These efforts were met with demands relating to my premarital assets and unreasonable conditions intended to strip me of my freedom and dignity even after divorce.
‘Overnight, I was required to justify my role as a mother, as a parent, despite being their mother and the primary caregiver to my children. My entire world was snatched from me in one moment.
‘When I asked for an amicable separation, I was told that my professional background & achievements were irrelevant & was advised to take up work as a cleaner or in a supermarket in the small village where we lived in Austria, simply to retain the joint custody of my children.
‘I questioned why, when I can make a life for myself successfully in my own country on my own terms, I was being denied my children, my dignity to life & work, after being heartlessly discarded after taking my assets, after me having trying my best to make an abusive marriage work with my loyalty & dedication for 15 years.
‘As matters stand today, I remain without access to my children, in circumstances shaped by jurisdictional constraints, financial coercion & systemic imbalance, simply because I chose to stand up & fight for my rights.
‘In 2024, I was also denied access to a part of my own rental income, preventing me from travelling to Dubai to avail legal aid for my brother Maj Vikrant.
‘This is what systematic oppression & abuse is designed to do.. isolate you, silence you & make you feel invisible — we were burning while they came blaming us for the smell of ashes.’
Photograph curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
