A 22-year-old woman in Cuddalore district died by suicide on Sunday morning, after her husband allegedly harassed her for dowry and intiated divorce proceedings when she failed to meet his demands. The young woman, Sabina, had been married for only 10 months when she breathed her last in Chennai’s Stanley Government hospital, where she had been brought for treatment.
Sabina, an engineer and resident of Mudhunagar got married to 28-year-old Pavendhan on January 23 this year. Though he had only studied till eighth standard, her family believed him to be the right fit based on enquiries they made with mutual friends. The groom had said that he had a job in Singapore, a claim, that Sabina’s family now doubts.
Before the wedding, the bride’s family had given the couple 40 sovereigns of gold, a cot and an airconditioner. But the groom’s side was allegedly not satisfied.
“The problems began from the very first day,” says 34-year-old Nishanth, Sabina’s elder brother. “They wanted us to buy them a car and refrigirator. But we needed more time and money for that. We told them to be patient and asked the groom to start working in the meantime,” he adds.
Sabina faced the heat at her inlaws’ residence.
“The groom and his parents beat her everyday and verbally harassed her as well. When she called us and cried, we told her to adjust,” admits Nishanth. Sabina’s husband allegedly refused to even let her meet her parents unless they brought the rest of the dowry.
“My parents said that the problem was now between man and wife and they can’t interfere. But finally when she called and said she was cutting her hands, we brought her back. She was back in Mudhunagar 21 days after her marriage,” says Sabina’s brother.
Her parents then continued efforts to reunite Sabina and Pavendhan. But in April, the latter sent Sabina divorce papers. According to the police, two hearings were already over by the time she killed herself.
“She was convinced that her life was ruined at such a young stage. We all tried talking to her husband and making them reconcile but he wasn’t interested,” says Nishanth. “We did not expect her to take such a drastic step,” he adds.
When TNM contacted the Cuddalore police, an investigating official maintained that the Sub Collector was looking into the case as it has been filed as a case of dowry death.
Pavendhan has been booked under IPC section 498 (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 304 B (Where the death of a woman is caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage) of the Indian Penal Code.
Source: The News Minute