Balasore: What’s more shocking than hearing about the tragic death of a newlywed woman, barely into her marital journey, just for the sake of a refrigerator – demanded by her husband and in-laws.
A newly-wed woman was allegedly killed by her in-laws for dowry at Tentala village under Khaira police limits in Balasore district on Monday night. This incident, no doubt, is a stark reminder of the dark underbelly of dowry harassment that continues to plague our society.
According to sources, Laxmipriya Sethi, daughter of Sudama Sethi of Sarapur village, was married to Jagannath Das of Tentala village in a Hindu ceremony on June 14. However, their happy marriage turned sour when Jagannath and his mother started insisting Lakhmipriya to bring a refrigerator from her family a few days after the marriage. Jagannath and his mother reportedly started torturing her when her family failed to meet the demand. Due to constant harassment, Laxmipriya reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan.
The incident, however, has sparked outrage in the village, with Laxmipriya’s family accusing Jagannath and his mother of killing Laxmipriya for dowry. They meanwhile demanded the immediate arrest of Jagannath and his family members who had fled the scene after the matter came to the fore.
Lakhmipriya’s uncle said, “Lakhmipriya is my elder brother’s daughter. We had rushed into her marriage with Jagannath due to his family’s persistent demands. Even my brother was not prepared for the marriage at early notice. Jagannath’s parents told us to give dowry materials as per our convenience after marriage. After a few days after marriage, they subjected Lakhmipriya to torture over a seemingly trivial demand – a refrigerator. They killed Lakhmipriya and hanged her body from the ceiling fan in a horrific attempt to conceal the truth.”
