Kamla Pasand owner's daughter-in-law found hanging at Delhi home
What's the story
Deepti Chaurasia, the 40-year-old daughter-in-law of Kamal Kishore, owner of the pan masala brands Kamla Pasand and Rajshree Pan Masala, allegedly died by suicide at her Vasant Vihar home, Delhi, on Tuesday evening. The police discovered a diary at the scene that mentioned marital discord with her husband, Harpreet Chaurasia. According to India.com, a suicide note was also found. A line from the note read, "If there is no love and trust in a relationship...what is the point of life?"
Family claims
Allegations of marital discord and abuse surface
Deepti and Harpreet were married in 2010 and have a 14-year-old son. Reports suggest that Deepti may have taken her life due to Harpreet's alleged second marriage to a South Indian film actress. However, the police are yet to confirm this information. Rishabh, Deepti's brother, alleged his sister was tortured and physically assaulted by her husband, who had affairs. He said, "I don't know whether my sister was killed or died by suicide. I spoke to her 2-3 days ago."
Lawyer
'No kind of dispute'
However, Rajendra Singh, the family lawyer, downplayed allegations of marital discord, saying "both families are together." "There's no kind of dispute between both the sides and reports of putting allegation on someone is factually incorrect. We would request everyone to respect family's privacy. The deceased probably had anxiety or depression that's for the police to probe," he said.
Ongoing investigation
Investigation underway, post-mortem to be conducted
The police have registered a case at the Vasant Vihar police station and are investigating the matter. A post-mortem will be conducted by a panel of doctors to ascertain the cause of death. The body was found hanging with a scarf inside their house and was discovered by her husband, who took her to Safdarjung Hospital, where she was declared dead.
Brand history
Kamla Pasand brand's journey and family lawyer's statement
The Chaurasia family is well-known in the pan masala industry. Kamal Kishore and his father, Kamala Kant Chaurasia, started the Kamla Pasand brand, which now has a presence in Kanpur, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The business was started around four decades ago by selling loose pan masala from a small shop in Kanpur. Today it has a turnover of billions of rupees.