CHANDIGARH, 26 June — A 24-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district died by suicide at her in-laws’ residence in Sector 10 here, triggering a police case against her husband and four in-laws for alleged dowry harassment. The woman, married just months ago, had moved to Chandigarh following her wedding and was reportedly facing ongoing abuse from her husband and his family.
According to police, the woman’s husband, also a native of UP, is employed with a private company in the city, while his parents and two sisters reside with him in the servant quarters of a bungalow in the upscale Sector 10 area. The tragic incident came to light on June 21, after the victim sent a suicide note via WhatsApp to her elder sister, in which she blamed her husband and in-laws for pushing her to the edge.
“She called me early in the morning, pleading with us to take her back home,” the woman’s father said in a statement to the police. “Later, around 11.30 am, my elder daughter received a message from her on WhatsApp. It was a suicide note clearly stating that her in-laws were responsible for her death.”
In the complaint, the father alleged that his daughter had repeatedly told the family about being taunted, mistreated and harassed over dowry demands. He said she would often make distressed calls, sharing that her husband, parents-in-law, and sisters-in-law frequently picked fights with her over the gifts and money brought during the wedding.
“They kept asking what we had given them in marriage. My daughter was under immense mental pressure. She felt trapped and humiliated,” he added.
Acting on the complaint, the Chandigarh Police registered a case under Section 80 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which pertains to dowry death. The accused include the woman’s husband and his parents and sisters. No arrests had been made as of Wednesday afternoon, but the investigation is ongoing.
Senior police officials confirmed that the suicide note is being examined and forensic analysis of the phone and message logs is underway. Statements from neighbours and acquaintances are also being recorded to build a comprehensive picture of the events leading up to the suicide.
The case has stirred strong reactions among residents and women’s rights activists in the city, who have called for swift and stringent action. “This is not just another case of domestic violence—it’s a social indictment. The fact that a young woman felt the only escape was to end her life speaks volumes about how normalized dowry pressure still is,” said a representative from a local women’s welfare NGO.
As the family mourns their loss in Pratapgarh, calls for justice grow louder. The victim’s body has been sent for post-mortem, and police say further legal proceedings will be based on forensic and evidentiary findings.
While the investigation continues, the death has become another grim reminder of the persistent dowry culture that continues to endanger the lives of women across India—despite legal prohibitions and societal progress.
