Repeated abuse by in-laws, husband claim’s woman’s life

A 30-year-old woman, an arts graduate, allegedly died after her in-laws and 35-year-old husband repeatedly mentally and physically abused her for 10 months

Thane A 30-year-old woman, an arts graduate, allegedly died after her in-laws and 35-year-old husband repeatedly mentally and physically abused her for 10 months. One such brutal attack on July 14 cost her life.

The couple, Pooja Mishra and Vishal Mishra got married in September 2021. As the pandemic was still raging at the point, the girl’s parents could not visit her (HT File)

After repeated demands from the woman’s family, the police finally registered the first information report (FIR) on August 2, nearly a month and a half after the woman’s death, and arrested the husband under section 304 B of Indian Penal Code on August 31.

The couple, Pooja Mishra and Vishal Mishra got married in September 2021. As the pandemic was still raging at the point, the girl’s parents could not visit her.

Pooja, a resident of Malad was looking for a prospective match for several years. The family had saved money for her wedding. When she finally decided to marry Vishal, a salesman from Thane, the groom’s family demanded a dowry of ₹3 lakh. However, Pooja’s mother claimed that the demands never ended and Pooja was asked to get household things for them frequently.

Mahesh Rajpopat, lawyer of Pooja’s family said, “She was allegedly repeatedly assaulted physically and mentally. She had several injuries on her hand made of sharp weapons. She was not allowed to talk to her parent. Her condition deteriorated to such level that she would defecate in her sleep.”

In May, the in-laws dropped her off at her parent’s house and left her downstairs when she was severally ill. A resident of the building saw her, draped her in a blanket and took her to her parent’s house. The parents then took her to Nair hospital and started her treatment.

Rajpopat added, “In June, her parents took her back to her in-laws when she was fit. However, her in-laws allegedly did not allow her to take her medicines. In July again, her husband assaulted her brutally and sent her to her parent’s home. She had severe injuries and her mental health also was not sound. She died during treatment on July 14.”

Senior police inspector Uttam Sonawane of Kapurbavdi Police said, “We arrested her husband under IPC 304 B, death due to dowry. The investigation of the case is in progress and based on further evidence, we will arrest the other family members.”

Rajpopat claimed that the delay in registering the case was owing to the family’s confusion over where and how to approach legal aid. “They were trying to register a case in a Mumbai-based police station. However, since the crime was committed in Thane, it was not registered initially for a few days.”