A 27-year-old government school teacher died by suicide on Wednesday after leaving a 90-second video alleging that she was harassed and abused over dowry by her in-laws and husband.
Srishti Kandhari married Saurabh Raturi in November last year. She had moved to there in-law’s house, which is situated about 20 km away from Dehradun city.
In the video, Kandhari is seen sobbing and wiping off tears before she speaks.
About 35 seconds into the video, she says, "Sorry mummy, main aise ja rahi hoon (Sorry, I am leaving like this)," she blurts out between sobs. "Everything has become so strange. I have been enduring this for six months... Now I can't endure it anymore. Their mindset can never change. They keep blaming me for things that happened after our marriage. (Calling me) 'manhoos, manhoos' (cursed)," she says as the video ends. Saurabh Khatri is a personal secretary at the Uttarakhand Secretariat.
Her mother has filed a police complaint against Kanshari’s husband Saurabh, mother-in-law Parvina, and sister-in-law Charu. The complaint alleged that Shristi was subjected to repeated dowry demands, physical and mental harassment, and humiliation by her husband and in-laws.
The complaint states that Shristi was regularly insulted, isolated and harassed within the household.
Circle officer Doiwala Vandana Verma said that the FIR was registered under sections related to dowry death and post-mortem has been conducted.
"We received information that a woman had died by suicide by hanging herself, and a police team, as well as an FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) team, inspected the scene. A post-mortem examination has been conducted. The woman's mother has alleged harassment by her in-laws," said Verma.
"She got married eight months ago. The woman was a government teacher, and her husband also works for a government department," the officer added.
Circle Officer Vandana Verma said Shristi was allegedly branded “inauspicious” and “unlucky” by her husband’s family. According to the officer, family members reportedly blamed her for a series of misfortunes after she arrived in the house.
Shristi was also blamed for the death of her father-in-law, who suffered from prolonged illness.
The incident came to light was Shristi mother was unable to contact her daughter on July 28 and 29. She had requested relatives living nearby to visit the house.
They saw Shristi in a critical condition and admitted her to a local hospital. She died during treatment by the time Seema Bhandari travelled from Srinagar in Garwhal to Dehradun.
Police say that an investigation is underway, with medical records, witness statements and evidence being examined.
