Husband, mother-in-law arrested for abetting engineer’s suicide in Uruli Kanchan

The arrests come amid strong reactions and a visit to the victim’s maternal home by Maharashtra State Women’s Commission chief, Rupali Chakankar

Pune rural police have arrested a 30-year-old woman’s husband and mother-in-law for abetting her suicide, allegedly driven by unrelenting harassment for dowry at her in-laws’ home in Uruli Kanchan. The arrests come amid strong reactions and a visit to the victim’s maternal home by Maharashtra State Women’s Commission chief, Rupali Chakankar.

The accused husband and mother-in-law, a sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) village sarpanch, were arrested by the Uruli Kanchan police Monday evening and produced in court Tuesday where they have been remanded to police custody till January 13. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

The accused husband and mother-in-law, a sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) village sarpanch, were arrested by the Uruli Kanchan police Monday evening and produced in court Tuesday where they have been remanded to police custody till January 13. The search is on for the deceased’s father-in-law who is also named in the first information report (FIR).

The deceased, an engineer, was found to have committed suicide at her matrimonial home in Sortapwadi village of Haveli taluka on January 24. Her parents filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws, alleging nonstop harassment for dowry and abetment to suicide. Following the complaint, the Uruli Kanchan police registered a case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to dowry death and abetment to suicide.

According to the complaint, the deceased faced constant mental and physical harassment at the hands of her husband and in-laws since shortly after her marriage on November 23, 2019. The couple had a daughter, but the in-laws expressed displeasure at the birth of a girl and later demanded money from the deceased’s parents who allegedly paid around ₹10 lakh in cash. Demands for another ₹25 lakh followed. The police said that the deceased’s jewellery, including 25 tolas of gold given at the time of marriage, was appropriated by her in-laws and mortgaged for business funds.

The deceased’s parents also alleged that during her second pregnancy, she was compelled to undergo a sex determination test and upon finding the foetus to be female, forced to undergo an abortion against her will.

Chakankar, who visited the deceased’s parents on Tuesday, said that the commission will ensure strict action against the guilty. “There is a need to change the people’s mindset. At the same time if a married woman is facing harassment from her in-laws, she should be given assurance by her parents that their doors are always open for her,” Chakankar said.

Chakankar also noted the need for societal change and strict enforcement of existing laws, and assured that inquiries into illegal practices — including forced sex determination and coercion — will be carried out with action taken against those responsible.