Kareena Eugene
On Sunday, 11th of April, 2021, a woman named Komal hung herself to death as her in-laws line up to shoot a video through a window. They posted the video on social media and hoping it would “absolve” themselves of murder.
Komal lived in Muzaffarnagar’s Datiyana village, located in the norther part of Uttar Pradesh, with her husband and in-laws.
In the video, Komal can be seen tying a noose around a beam lining on the asbestos roof. She ties the noose around her neck and tests the grip before she hangs herself. A man, presumably her father-in-law, can be heard saying, “Apne aap latak gayi (she hung herself on her own)”.
SP (city) Arpit Vijayvargiya said, “They had tried to stop her from killing herself”, while confirming that the video had been shot from the outside. However, her parents had a different side of the story to tell.
Komal and Ashish had gotten married on September, 2019. Komal’s father had filed a complaint to the police which wrote, “I had given ₹5 lakh and a bike to his family at the time but, Ashish’s father Devendra, mother Savita and his brother Sachin were not happy. About six months ago, they beat up Komal and drove her out of the house. The village elders sent her back”.
It further wrote, “Two months ago, they started demanding ₹1.2 lakhs. They said they would get Ashish married to someone else if she couldn’t come up with the dowry. All four of them got together and killed my daughter.”
On Sunday, a day before the video went viral, an FIR was lodged by Komal’s parents against Ashish, his brother and his parents under sections 304B, 498A and 506 of the IPC and under Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
Yashpal Singh, SHO of Chappar Police Station, said “His (Ashish’s) parents have been arrested and will be produced before the Magistrate.” Ashish and his brother, Sachin, are still on the run.