NCP expels Rajendra Hagawane after dowry death case triggers outrage

His daughter-in-law allegedly died by suicide on May 16, after harassment over dowry demands; NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule demands strict action

Facing mounting public outrage, and intense criticism from within, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday expelled senior leader Rajendra Hagawane and his son Sushil Hagawane after a dowry harassment case involving their family members led to the alleged suicide of the former’s daughter-in-law in Pimpri-Chinchwad. While the party’s expulsion letter, signed by general secretary Shivajirao Garje on Wednesday, did not cite specific reasons, the move followed growing pressure after three members of the Hagawane family were arrested and two others, including Rajendra Hagawane, went absconding. According to NCP, Rajendra was a district-level functionary. The police have formed three teams to arrest him.

Ajit Pawar presenting keys of SUV to Vaishnavi at her marriage with Shashank. Vaishnavi’s father Anil Kaspate said he had given the SUV as part of dowry. (HT FILE)

The case triggered a sharp response from rival NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule, who sought judicial inquiry stating the incident had deeply shaken her. “This is not just suicide, there is suspicion of murder. Such a case in a so-called educated, prominent family from Mulshi raises serious concerns about where Maharashtra is heading,” she said in Mumbai on Thursday.

Sule said she had deliberately skipped a family function at the Hagawanes’ house recently to register her protest, citing earlier complaints of domestic violence involving the family. “If daughters-in-law are being tortured and forced to approach police stations and courts, I cannot be seen endorsing such behaviour,” she said. “This is my constituency. Maharashtra’s daughter must get justice.”

The 26-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide at her in-laws’ Bavdhan home in Pune on May 16, after repeated physical and mental harassment over dowry demands, according to the police. An FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections on abetment to suicide and domestic violence has been registered against five family members, including Rajendra.

Based on a complaint by Anil Kaspate, father of the deceased, the police arrested the husband of deceased; mother-in-law Lata, 50, and sister-in-law Karishma, 24. Rajendra and Sushil, 27, brother-in-law of the deceased, on the run, are named in the FIR

The woman’s family alleged she was tortured for dowry despite having given 51 tolas (1 tola is 11.66 grams) of gold, silver, and an SUV at the time of marriage. Later, her in-laws allegedly demanded an additional ₹2 crore to buy land. Her parents claimed she may have been murdered.

Sule has called on the state’s Mahayuti government to act swiftly. “This is a serious matter. The government must ensure strict punishment. I will continue to raise the issue until justice is served,” she said.