Dowry claims law graduate’s life

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 14

A woman was found hanging at her in-laws’ house in mysterious circumstances. The family of Savinder Kaur (28) has alleged that her in-laws murdered her and later hanged the body to make it appear a suicide. On a statement of her parents and brother, the police registered a case under section 304-B of the IPC at the Shimlapuri police station against her in-laws.

The police have arrested her husband Deepak Kumar and mother-in-law Praveen Sharma while the father-in-law and two sisters-in-law have absconded.

Savinder’s brother Ajay Sharma said she got married to Deepak Sharma of New Shimlapuri about two and a half years ago. She was a law graduate while her husband was still studying law then. The couple had one-year-old son. Ever since his sister got married, her in-laws had been torturing her for bringing less dowry. She was abused and beaten up by them, alleged the brother.

He said around 20 days ago, Savinder came to her parental house. She told her family that her in-laws were in no mood to keep her at their place. On February 8, it was the first birthday of Savinder’s son. Her in-laws, along with a few acquaintances of theirs, came to their place (Savinder’s parental house) and asked her to come back as they had planned to celebrate her son’s first birthday, he said.

Ajay said on the day of the function (February 8), Savinder’s parents gave household articles worth Rs 4 lakh to their daughter. The next day, his sister called up her parents. She told them that her in-laws had again started harassing and beating her for not bringing enough articles. Savinder’s parents asked her to maintain patience and told her that they would discuss the issue with her in-laws.

In his statement to the police, Ajay said on Saturday, at around 9:30 pm, they got a call from Savinder’s mother-in-law Praveen Sharma that she (Savinder) had bolted herself in a room. 

When her parents and brother reached the in-laws’ house, they found her hanging from a ceiling fan. 

Meanwhile, the Shimlapuri police reached the spot. 

The brother alleged that the body had bruises which showed that she was thrashed before being hanged from the ceiling fan.

A post-mortem examination was conducted today and the body was handed over to her parents. Since the post-mortem report has not given any clear reason for her death, the police sent the viscera to Patiala. 

Station House Officer Gurbachan Singh said that the deceased’s in-laws, who had absconded, would be arrested soon.