In a tragic turn of events, 26-year-old Kannada playback singer Sushmitha Raje committed suicide at her mother's home in Bengaluru on Monday. She was found hanging from the ceiling of the room. She was allegedly subjected to dowry harassment by her husband Sharath and his family.
Sushmitha had married Sharath in 2018 and the couple were staying to together in Bengaluru's Kumaraswamy Layout. She had come to her mother's house on Sunday evening, after having a fight with her husband. Her younger brother Sachin also stays at her mother's house.
According to a report in the Indian Express, on Sunday night, she had sent WhatsApp messages to Sachin and her mother Meenakshi, who was attending a wedding. The messages accused her husband and his family of harassing her over dowry, and she stated that this has forced her to take the extreme step. Demanding that they be punished, she also wrote that she did not want to die in her husband's home. By the time Sachin saw the messages, and reached home, he found Sushmitha hanging.
Speaking to media, Meenakshi revealed that she had convinced her daughter for the arranged marriage, and spent Rs 20 lakh for the wedding expenses, besides giving the couple 150gm of gold. Meenakshi had availed a huge loan for the wedding, and Sushmitha put up with the harassment as she did not want to trouble her mother further.
The police has registered a case of dowry death against Sushmitha's husband Sharath, his sister Geetha and aunt Vaidehi. All three accused are absconding. Sharath works as a manager in a car showroom in Bengaluru.
A budding singer, Sushmitha had lent her voice for songs in Kannada films like Haalu Thuppa and Srisamanya.
