Jhansi: Woman dies, daughter’s sketch points to dowry murder; husband held
In the video, the child is seen drawing a figure while saying her father beat her mother. She also alleged that her grandmother pushed her mother down the stairs before her father strangled her.
A woman who was brought to Jhansi Medical College in critical condition by her in-laws in the early hours of Monday succumbed to her injuries during treatment. While her in-laws claimed she had attempted suicide by hanging, a viral video showed her five-year-old daughter sketching a scene, allegedly describing how her father killed her mother.
In the video, the child is seen drawing a figure while saying her father beat her mother. She also alleged that her grandmother pushed her mother down the stairs before her father strangled her.
Meanwhile, the deceased woman’s father, Sanjive Tripathi from Tikamgarh district, accused the in-laws of subjecting his daughter, Sonali, to constant mental and physical torture for dowry since her marriage in 2019. He claimed that despite giving ₹20 lakh in dowry, the demands continued. A previous dowry harassment case was lodged against Sonali’s husband, Sandeep Budholiya, but was later settled based on alleged false assurances from his family.
According to circle officer (CO) City Rambeer Singh, an FIR has been registered against Sandeep, his mother Vineeta, his elder brother Krishna Kumar, his sister-in-law Manisha, and five unidentified persons under sections 80 (dowry death) and 85 (cruelty against a woman by her husband) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. Sandeep has been detained for interrogation.
Tripathi’s complaint stated that Sonali was forcefully called back home by her husband after attending a wedding on Sunday. Later that night, she was allegedly strangled with the help of others. The in-laws then admitted her to the hospital and left her daughter behind before disappearing, only returning after the police intervened.
