NEW DELHI: A Kerala court on Monday sentenced a man and his mother for starving his wife to death over dowry demands.
The 28-year-old victim, identified as Thushara, was reduced to a “bag of bones” and died due to starvation. The case, which dates back to 2019, caused significant public outrage in Kerala. The victim was also a mother of two.
At the time of her death, Thushara weighed only 20 to 21 kilograms.
Thushara suffered horrifying abuse at their home in Karunagappally. Denied proper food, she was forced to survive on soaked rice and sugar syrup before she collapsed and died at a government hospital on 21 March 2019.
S Subash, judge of the Additional District and Sessions Court-IV, found husband Chandulal (36) and his mother Geetha (62) guilty and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.
Special prosecutor Mahendra K B said the court accepted the prosecution’s arguments and convicted the two under Sections 304(B) and 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
“This is a case which has no precedence in our country,” said Advocate Mahendra, speaking to reporters after the verdict. While dowry-related killings have tragically been seen before, he explained this was likely the first instance where a woman was forced to die through starvation.
Thushara’s torture came to light during a police investigation following her death, leading to the swift arrest of both Chandulal and Geetha.
Chanthulal and Geethalal were allegedly practising witchcraft and black magic, and had erected a tin barrier around the compound of the house to keep away from the outside world, said a police officer.
Thushara married Chandulal in 2013. Just three months after their marriage, he demanded an additional Rs 2 lakh as dowry. When her family couldn’t afford it, Thushara was kept locked in the house, forbidden from meeting her relatives or neighbours. She wasn’t even allowed to contact her family by phone. Even after having her second child, her relatives were not allowed to see her. It was only when the Kollam East Police got involved that Thushara’s family was allowed to visit her and meet the baby.
Rural SP K G Simon, who supervised the investigation said that no one in the neighbourhood had any clue about the severity of the torture
