Kamla Pasand daughter-in-law death: Mother says daughter abuse started from her pregnancy in 2011

A woman, daughter-in-law of a pan masala group owner, died by suicide. Her mother alleges years of abuse from her husband and in-laws preceded her death.

The mother of a 38-year-old woman, the daughter-in-law of the owner of the Kamla Pasand pan masala group, who reportedly died by suicide at her Vasant Vihar home earlier this week, alleged that her daughter was constantly abused and assaulted until she died.

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She also detailed an incident from 2011, when her husband and mother-in-law allegedly dragged her from the first floor to the ground floor and thrashed her.

The woman was found dead inside the dressing area of her bedroom on Tuesday afternoon. Police said she lived with her husband and two children, and domestic staff were also present. On Friday, police registered a case under sections 108 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on the complaint of the woman’s mother.

In the FIR, a copy of which was seen by HT, the mother said that her daughter got married in December 2010 and in February-March 2011, her husband and mother-in-law allegedly abused her, dragged her from their first-floor residence to the ground floor and thrashed her. The daughter “was pregnant at the time”, the complainant said, adding that the victim told the parents about the incident, after which the husband apologised, and the matter was resolved.

The mother alleged that after the couple’s son was born later that year, her daughter got to know about her husband’s extramarital affair with a woman in Mumbai. The mother alleged that her son-in-law “had illegally wedded the woman and also had an illegitimate daughter”. The victim went home to Kolkata with her parents and son, staying there for a year, until her in-laws and husband gave a written apology and brought her back to Delhi.

“They came to our house and apologised with folded hands. They said that their son has committed a big mistake and that we should not say anything in the society,” she alleged.

The mother said that after two to three years, the abuse resumed. She said that in April 2024, her daughter read obscene chats of her husband with a woman and a friend, which caused an altercation. The daughter went back home and stayed there for a month, until her mother-in-law visited and apologised.

The mother further said that on November 25, the day of the incident, her daughter called her at 7.30am and said that she and her husband had fought over an issue regarding their son’s mobile phone. Around 11:30am, when the mother called the victim, she didn’t answer, and half an hour later, she was informed by a family member that the victim had died.