19-year-old domestic help kills self, her family pelts stones at housing society

While the police were still investigating the death and awaiting the autopsy report, the dead woman’s family and neighbours allegedly arrived in the society on Thursday morning and began protesting.

A 19-year-old domestic help killed herself at her employer’s home in outer Delhi’s Rohini on Wednesday night -- allegedly after being harassed and not being allowed to meet her family for the past three months -- prompting her family and neighbours to pelt stones at the residential society the next day, the police said.

The police have arrested the employer, who runs a business in Chandni Chowk, and booked him for abetment of suicide. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Four police personnel were injured in stone pelting in controlling the mob, said PK Mishra, deputy commissioner of police (Rohini).

The police have arrested the employer, who runs a business in Chandni Chowk, and booked him for abetment of suicide. Since the dead domestic help’s mother alleged that some others also in the 11-member family would harass her daughter, the police also added Indian Penal Code section 34 (an act done by several persons with a common intention).

The police have registered a separate FIR in the mob violence under nine sections of the IPC and two of the Epidemic Diseases Act. “We have not arrested any of the suspected rioters yet. We have asked them to join investigations,” said the DCP.

But, the house owner and his family allegedly didn’t let the teenaged domestic help leave the house. “One day when I came to meet my daughter, they refused to let me see her. After requesting the family, I was allowed to see and speak to her from behind closed gates,” her mother told the police in her statement.

“She appeared unhappy,” the mother added.

When her son came down to meet his sister, he allegedly wasn’t allowed.

While the employer is in jail and his son refused to share speak to HT, the DCP said that the family has claimed that they refused to let the domestic help’s mother or brother into the house as they felt it could leave them exposed to the coronavirus infection.

On Wednesday evening, when the domestic help received a call from her mother, she allegedly informed her that the occupants of the house had left for a family function. “They had locked the locked the house from outside,” said the DCP.

When the family returned home around 11.30 pm, they found the 19-year-old hanging from the ceiling fan, the DCP added.

While the police were still investigating the death and awaiting the autopsy report, the dead woman’s family and neighbours allegedly arrived in the society on Thursday morning and began protesting.

“They were armed with stones and rods. I heard that they targeted the businessman’s house and smashed doors and windows of some other houses in the society. When I reached the spot, I found the police trying to control the situation,” said Amit Goswami, the local RWA general secretary, on whose statement the FIR against the mob was later registered at the Rohini (North) police station.

The DCP said on Sunday that the situation is under control and the investigators are awaiting the autopsy report to determine if it was a suicide or if there was any foul play involved.

“There were no external injuries on the woman’s body and no visible evidence of sexual assault,” said the officer.

The dead woman’s family, whose members too have been named for the rioting, refused to speak on the matter.