A 28-year-old woman and her three young daughters in a village in Haryana’s Nuh died allegedly after years of harassment inside her marital home – relentless dowry demands and physical assault to humiliating taunts for not giving birth to a son.
A 28-year-old woman and her three young daughters in a village in Haryana’s Nuh died allegedly after years of harassment inside her marital home – relentless dowry demands and physical assault to humiliating taunts for not giving birth to a son. Police have now registered a murder case against seven members of her husband’s family after the woman’s father accused them of intensifying their abuse in the days leading up to the incident.
The woman, identified as Sahila, had married Sahid, a resident of Badopur village, in 2018. On Monday, her body was discovered in a well in agricultural fields along with those of her daughters.
Sahila’s father, Hanif, a resident of Alwar in Rajasthan, told police that he had given significant dowry at the time of the marriage, including a motorcycle, Rs 1.1 lakh in cash, and household items. However, he alleged that the family remained dissatisfied.
According to his complaint, the harassment began soon after the wedding, with repeated pressure for an expensive SUV. “From the beginning, they kept pressuring and harassing my daughter for a Creta,” Hanif said in his complaint.
He accused Sahid, Sahila’s brothers-in-law Zubair and Saddam, her father-in-law Isab, and other relatives, Maqsoodan, Maimuna and Sanji, of subjecting her to prolonged mental and physical cruelty. Hanif claimed the situation worsened after Sahila gave birth to daughters instead of a son.
“We went to their house several times and pleaded with them not to torment her. But their behaviour did not change,” he added.
Hanif further alleged that around six months ago, Sahila was locked inside a room and brutally beaten. Her jewellery including bangles, necklaces and chains was also taken away. When Hanif sent his son Rashid to check on her, Rashid was allegedly assaulted and confined as well. He eventually contacted police, who rescued him.
A complaint was filed at Ferozepur Jhirka police station, following which a community meeting was held. According to the family, Sahila’s husband and in-laws admitted their wrongdoing at the time and the matter was settled.
However, Hanif said the harassment resurfaced and worsened after Sahila gave birth to her third daughter around four months ago.
Two days before the deaths, Sahila reportedly called her father in distress, telling him that her in-laws had beaten her severely and were threatening to kill her, the FIR states.
On Sunday evening around 8.30 pm, Hanif received a call from a person in Badopur asking whether Sahila had reached her parental home. Alarmed, he tried contacting her marital family throughout the night but received no response.
The next morning, as he rushed toward the village, the village headman informed him that Sahila and her daughters had been found dead in a well.
Police recovered the bodies and sent them to the mortuary at a government hospital in Mandikhera for post-mortem examination.
“Teams have been formed to arrest the accused at the earliest. The harassment, as alleged, was linked to the birth of girls,” an official said.