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'She's mine': Kerala man who killed wife says both beat each other 'out of love'
According to Satheesh Shankar, these things were personal issues and something that happens in every household.
Kerala man Satheesh Shankar, the husband of Athulya Shekhar, who was found dead in her Sharjah apartment in the UAE on Saturday, admitted to having physically assaulted her.
He reportedly justified beating her and said it happened because “she is mine, and mine alone”.
The Kerala woman's death reportedly coincided with her 30th birthday and the first day of a new job. The Kerala Police registered a murder case against Satheesh after Athulya's mother filed a complaint, alleging that he strangled her, kicked her stomach, and hit her head with a plate between July 18 and 19, resulting in her death.
Speaking to media on Sunday, Satheesh admitted that he used to beat his wife, saying that he did so "out of love".
"I won't claim that I didn't beat her. I did that when I was drunk. But I didn't do that every day. Her family claims I drink every day, and I physically assaulted her every day. That's not true. I know it's not right to beat my wife," he was quoted as saying by The News Minute.
According to Satheesh, such matters were their personal issues and are something that happens in every home.
Athulya also ‘used to beat’ Satheesh
The statements he made further twisted the alleged murder case. Satheesh claimed that Athulya used to beat him, which again he said, was out of love.
“I don't know what to do next, what will happen to my job, or my future. She used to physically abuse me. When she got angry, she didn’t know what to do,” he said, showing the bruises on his hands and legs.
“I won’t blame her for this. She did it because she was angry, because she loved me. I just want to know what happened to her. She would never die by suicide. Maybe she did this to scare me, or something else happened to her. I want to find out,” he added.
Satheesh pointed out the details of the scene of the apartment and alleged possible foul play in his wife's death. "The bed had been moved, and a knife and a mask were found in the room. There was also a button in her hand, which was not mine. These things must be investigated," he was quoted as saying by Mathrubhumi.
He questioned that if Athulya intended to end her life, she could have done so in Dubai and left him. "Why here, why now?" he asked. Satheesh also reportedly attempted suicide after his wife's death.
Speaking about a past incident in their marriage, Satheesh said that Athulya had gotten pregnant in November last year. However, without informing him, she went to Kerala and had an abortion, he alleged. She reportedly did not give him a clear answer as to why she did so.
He also reiterated that he was not a daily drinker, saying that he takes insulin twice a day due to diabetes.
After Athulya, the mother of a 10-year-old girl, was found dead in her flat in Rolla area, Satheesh's employer reportedly sacked him. A senior HR manager of the Dubai-based construction company said the firm issued a letter of termination to Satheesh Sivasankara Pillai, a site engineer with the company.
‘Suspicious death, dowry allegations’
Additionally, Athulya's family also alleged that she was repeatedly harassed for not bringing enough dowry during her marriage in 2014, despite having given a bike and 43 sovereigns of gold.
Police have registered a case against Satheesh under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
Athulya's father also believed that his daughter would not have died by suicide. He asserted that her death is mysterious. "We have to find out what exactly happened to her. He is an alcoholic. He always gets violent. She bore all the torture. Earlier also, such issues had happened and a case was filed with the police. We want to know what exactly happened to her,” he said.
