Woman accused of murdering daughter-in-law for dowry

Published On: May 10, 2019 08:57 AM NPT By: Binod Pariyar

RUPANDEHI, May 10: A group of women encircled the Area Police Office (APO), Butwal, on Thursday, demanding stern action against a woman who allegedly killed her daughter-in-law for dowry.

On May 3, Laxmi Khatri, 25, of Binayapur, Butwal Sub-metropolis-14, was found hanging inside her room. The parents and neighbors of the deceased have intensified their protest of late accusing Laxmi’s mother-in-law Harimaya Khatri, 42, of murdering her.

Chandrakala Khatri, the mother of the deceased, filed a complaint at the APO, Butwal, accusing Harimaya of killing her daughter. On Thursday, a large number of women encircled the APO, accuse the police of trying to shield the culprit by taking Laxmi’s ‘murder’ as a suicide.

Harimaya, chairperson of the local Srijana Aama Samuha, often tortured her daughter-in-law for not bringing enough dowry, according to Jamuna Upadhyay, a member of the same group. “The administration is showing ignorance even after repeated claims that Laxmi has been murdered,” she lamented.

She further added that the victim was brutally beaten by her mother-in-law a night before her suspicious death. Reportedly, the victim often complained about being tortured by her mother-in-law during the meetings of the Samuha. Members of the group claim that they often resolved their disputes.

As police refused to register the complaint in the beginning, the local women marched to the local police office. The women found the case suspicious after the victim’s husband who is currently in a foreign country for employment paid no heed to the death of his wife.

Laxmi’s mother Chandrakala claims that it was not a suicide because there was no rope around Laxmi’s neck when she was found dead. Laxmi who originally hailed from Malarani Rural Municipality-9 of Arghakhanchi district tied the nuptial knot with Amrit Khatri of Butwal-14.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the APO, Dil Bahadur Malla stated that police have been investigating the case by keeping Harimaya under custody. Police, however, say the postmortem report does not show that the woman was murdered.