Thiruvananthapuram, June 22: A young woman's death, suspected to be related to dowry harassment, has triggered outrage in Kerala. Vismaya V Nair was found hanging at her in-laws' house in Kollam on Monday. Police suspect Vismaya committed suicide after constant harassment by her husband and in-laws over dowry. The state women’s commission has also sought a report from police. Haryana: Woman Alleges Husband, In-Laws Repeatedly Harassed Her for Dowry Despite Reconciliation Efforts.
An Ayurveda doctor, Vismaya had married Kiran Kumar, in May 2020. Kiren works as an assistant motor vehicle inspector with the state Motor Vehicle Department. Vismaya's family and friends alleged that she was harassed by her husband and in-laws for dowry. Screenshots of WhatsApp messages, purportedly sent by Vismaya, showed that Kiran did not like the car which his father-in-father recently gifted the couple. Kerala Couple Harassed by Fake WhatsApp Message, Decide to Trace Origin of Rumours Shared Online.
The car is worth Rs 11 lakh. "At the time of marriage, I had given 100 sovereigns of gold, 1.20 acres of land and a new car. However, he was torturing my daughter, demanding more money. As the car, which was gifted to the couple, was bought after availing a loan, I could not meet his demand for more money," Trivikraman Nair, the deceased woman's father, was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.
Vismaya’s family friend Sakeer Husain said her family was mulling legal action against Kiran. He said Vismaya had been even reluctant to stay at his house. "On many occasions, Kiran had forcibly taken Vismaya to his house," he added. Before her suspected suicide, Vismaya had also sent her family photos of bruises on her face and hands sustained from the torture by her husband. The police registered a case of unnatural death.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 22, 2021 10:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).