UAE: Another Kerala woman found dead; family alleges dowry harassment
What's the story
A 29-year-old woman from Kerala was found dead in her apartment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday morning. The victim, identified as Athulya, was married to a man named Satheesh. Her mother has alleged that Satheesh strangled Athulya, kicked her stomach, and hit her head with a plate between July 18 and July 19, leading to her death.
Dowry demands
Victim's family alleges she was harassed for more dowry
Athulya's family has accused Satheesh of subjecting her to years of mental and physical torture over dowry demands. They claimed she was harassed for not bringing enough dowry during their marriage in 2014, despite giving a motorbike and 43 sovereigns of gold. The case against Satheesh has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
Family's concerns
Victim's father says Satheesh was an alcoholic
Meanwhile, Athulya's father, Rajashekharan Pillai, has alleged that Satheesh was an alcoholic who often became violent. He said there were previous incidents of physical assault on Athulya. "Once, when she was physically assaulted, I was planning to take her back home. But he would apologize, and she forgave him," Rajashekharan said.
Suspicious circumstances
Husband denies involvement in wife's death
Satheesh has denied any involvement in Athulya's death and said he didn't think she would die by suicide. He said he also wanted to know what happened to her. However, Rajashekharan insisted that the circumstances of his daughter's death were suspicious. "I don't believe that my daughter will die by suicide," he said, adding that her death was mysterious and they needed to find out what exactly happened.
Evidence presented
Another similar case reported in UAE
Athulya's family has also released videos showing her with visible injury marks and Satheesh appearing to lift a plastic stool to hit her. This incident comes days after another case of domestic violence was reported in the UAE. In that case, a 32-year-old woman from Kerala, Vipanchika Mani, died by suicide in Al Nahda, Sharjah, after killing her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Vybhavi. In her complaint, the victim's mother alleged that Vipanjika was subjected to physical and mental harassment over dowry demands.