Even as the additional sessions court in Kerala’s Kollam will on Monday pronounce its verdict into the alleged dowry death of Vismaya, an audio clip has surfaced in which she is purportedly heard telling her father that “she is scared of being beaten up”.
Vismaya, an Ayurveda medicine student, was found dead by suicide at her husband Kirankumar’s house on June 21, 2021.
In the clip, a woman, who is reported to be Vismaya, is heard saying that if she is left there, she “might do something”. She is also heard saying that she “wants to come back” and “cannot stay there anymore”.
After Vismaya’s death, her family had alleged that she was tortured by her husband Kirankumar for dowry. He was an official of the motor vehicle department. He was dismissed from service following a departmental inquiry.
He was arrested after her death and is now out on bail.
Kirankumar has been booked under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 498 a (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 306 (abetment of suicide), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (1) (criminal intimidation) and section 3, 4 of dowry prohibition act of the Indian Penal Code.
The prosecution has alleged that Vismaya was tortured by her husband for dowry from the ninth day of their marriage. Prosecutor Mohan Raj said they have evidence of torture in the form of Whatsapp messages and pictures sent by Vismaya to her relatives a day before her death. They have examined 42 witnesses.
Her father had told a TV channel that 100 sovereigns of gold (one sovereign is equal to 8 grams gold) and over one acre land, besides a car worth Rs 10 lakh was given as dowry to Kumar during the wedding in 2020.
But Kumar did not like the car and wanted Rs 10 lakh in cash. As he was told it was not possible, he used to torture her, the father had said.
The defence has argued that Vismaya was depressed. They also argued that the audio clips cannot be accepted as evidence.
With agency inputs
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.
Source: News18