Woman allegedly abused over dowry found dead in Farrukhnagar, husband and in-laws charged
A 25-year-old woman whose family says she was harassed for dowry was discovered dead in Farrukhnagar, and her husband, his father and brother have been booked.
Bhavna, 25, married Gautam Sharma on Dec 16, 2023 and gave birth to a son. Her father, Anil Sharma, says the couple were pressured for a dowry of Rs 25 lakh, of which only Rs 2.5 lakh was paid. After living with her parents for about five months, she returned to her marital home around Raksha Bandhan, but her brother Ajay reports that the alleged abuse began again within days.
On the day she was found dead, she allegedly called her father reporting beatings and strangulation, but police later claimed she died after ingesting poison, a version the family disputes. The FIR names Gautam, his father Bijender Sharma, a retired Indian Air Force officer, and his brother Ashu Sharma as accused under dowry-death and cruelty statutes, with the cause of death to be determined by the post-mortem. The family has also criticized police response and the handling of documentation at the inquest.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing concerns about dowry-related violence and law-enforcement handling of such incidents in India.
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