Days after a 26-year-old woman died by suicide in Maharashtra’s Ambernath district, police investigations have revealed shocking allegations of dowry harassment, constant CCTV surveillance and social isolation inside the matrimonial home.
Vishaka Telkar, a commerce graduate from Pune, allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday, less than two months after her arranged marriage with Dr Nitin Telkar on April 30.
As HT reported earlier, her family accused her husband, a BHMS doctor, and in-laws of subjecting her to constant physical and mental harassment over her dowry demands and doubts about her character.
The family claims demand for 50 grams of gold
According to the complaint, no dowry was given at the time of the wedding. However, Vishaka’s family alleged that soon after the marriage, her husband and his in-laws started pressuring them to provide 50 grams of gold.
Police said the request became a recurring source of harassment. Vishakha’s father, who works as an auto rickshaw driver in Pune, was allegedly unable to fulfill this.
Senior Police Inspector Ramesh Patel of Shivaji Nagar police station said the accused family “routinely harassed the deceased physically and mentally as they did not receive any gifts during the wedding ceremony.”
“Recently, they started demanding 50 grams of gold as dowry, which her father, an auto rickshaw driver in Pune, could not provide,” Patil said.
CCTV monitoring, restrictions on neighbours
The family’s claims go beyond dowry claims. They claim that Vishakha was kept under constant surveillance inside the house, where CCTV cameras were allegedly installed to monitor her movements.
It is also alleged that her husband and in-laws were suspicious of her character and prevented her from interacting with neighbours, effectively isolating her from those around her.
According to the complaint, tensions escalated on Sunday when Vishaka was seen speaking with a woman who lives nearby. Her family claimed that she was later assaulted by her husband and his in-laws over her interaction with her neighbour.
A distress call to the family
After the alleged assault, Vishaka called her parents in Pune and told them about the harassment she was facing.
Her parents were planning to travel to Ambernath to talk to her in-laws and intervene in the matter. However, before they could reach her, Vishakha allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday.
Following the incident, Shivaji Nagar police arrested her husband Dr Nitin Telkar, mother-in-law Chhaya Telkar and brother-in-law on charges of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide.
“We have arrested the three accused and they will be produced before the court today,” Patel said.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides can be prevented. Some of the major helpline numbers for suicide prevention in India are 011-23389090 from Soumyatri (Delhi based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai based).
