Dowry harassment: Woman commits suicide

BANGALORE: In a tragic incident reported in Hoysalanagar near Sunkadakatte, a one-year-old baby girl was set on fire by her mother, who later set herself ablaze, unable to cope up with the harassment from her husband and parents-in-laws.The deceased Mahalakshmi (20) was married to one, Govindaraju, two years ago. The couple hailed from Kunigal taluk of Tumkur district.Allegedly, Govindaraju and his parents harassed Mahalakshmi and demanded dowry. Situations became worse after Mahalakshmi gave birth to a baby girl, Bindushri.Govindraju’s parents insulted Mahalakshmi and demanded money from her parents citing they had the responsibilty of getting the baby married in future, which required lot of money, the police said.Dejected over the pressure and insult from her in-laws, Mahalakshmi set her daughter and herself ablaze on Friday morning, when the mother–daughter duo were alone at home.Govindaraju’s family resided in the ground floor, while his brother Venkatesh lived on the first floor of the same building. Venkatesh said, “I was at home when the incident happened at around 8.30 am. I heard Mahalakshmi screaming and rushed to see what had happened and the door was locked from inside. With the help of some neighbours, we broke open the door. But it was too late as both the mother and daughter were burnt alive.” He recalls, “Sometimes I have heard the couple quarrel.But, I have never interfered as I had no contact with their family,” he added.Meanwhile, Mahalakshmi’s uncle Jayaraj said that Mahalakshmi had alerted her parents about the harassment.“Even before we could find a solution for this, she has taken an extreme step,” he lamented. Based on a complaint filed by Mahalakshmi’s mother, Jayamma, the police have arrested Govindaraju (26), his father Maraiah and mother Jayamma.Police have registered a case and are investigating.