Bhopal woman kills self, daughters over harassment for giving birth to girls

Police said the woman hanged herself and her daughters on Monday after sending messages to her sister-in-law and brother about the alleged harassment

Published on: Mar 27, 2024, 08:58:24 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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A 28-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal after hanging her three daughters aged between one and five purportedly due to harassment her husband subjected her to for failing to give birth to a male child. Two of the daughters died while the third was rushed to a hospital where her condition was said to be stable.

Police were verifying a handwritten note recovered from the spot. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The woman hanged herself and her daughters on Monday after sending messages to her sister-in-law and brother about the alleged harassment, said Arun Sharma, a local police officer. Police have registered a complaint and were investigating the matter. They said a case would be registered based on the post-mortem report.

Sharma said the matter came to light on Tuesday afternoon. “The woman gave birth to three girls in five years but her husband wanted a male child. On Monday night, the couple argued over it. She sent five messages between 12.24am and 12.55am on Tuesday that her husband was harassing her and she was killing her daughters and herself.”

The woman’s brother said he saw the messages in the morning and tried calling her. “But, she did not respond. I called her husband and he said everything was fine. I did not believe him. I called my aunt, who lives in a neighbouring village. When my relatives reached her house, they saw the bodies of the three. They had not informed the police then. I informed the police.”

The woman’s husband claimed she died by suicide as she was upset with some medical issues. “She wanted a male child but was unable to get pregnant and that is why she ended her life.” Police were verifying a handwritten note recovered from the spot.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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