BIRGUNJ, Jan 7: After a lavish wedding last year, Madhuri Barnawal of Birgunj went to her husband's home in Nepalgunj, hoping for a beautiful new conjugal journey. But, 26 years old Madhuri's parents, who had blessed their daughter with all the happiness in the world, were shattered when they heard the news of her sudden demise last Tuesday.
After hearing the horrifying news, Madhuri's father Ved Prasad Barnawal and mother Pushpa Barnawal rushed to Nepalgunj to see her. They were shocked by her death. They claim that their daughter has been murdered, while her in-laws say she committed a suicide. After finding Madhuri hanging in her room, her husband and in-laws had taken her to the hospital without informing the police.
Newly-wed bride ruthlessly beaten for not bringing dowry
"This is a murder. My daughter was brutally beaten during her periods and later hanged on the ceiling fan," said Dipendra Barnwal, Madhuri's elder brother, adding, "Her family members kept abusing and ill-treating her for not bringing enough dowry. That is why they killed her." According to him, Madhuri's laptop and mobile phone have been broken to hide the evidence.
Family members of the deceased have accused Madhuri's husband Manish Barnawal, father-in-law Gopi Chandra Barnawal and mother-in-law Raj Kumari Devi of killing her. Reportedly, her husband was not involved in mistreating Madhuri in the beginning though his parents often used to torture her for not bringing dowry. However, he apparently changed his behavior after Madhuri found out about his affair with other women through social media.
A few months ago, during the Chhath celebration, Manish had come to Birgung with Madhuri when her parents told him to part his ways with their daughter if he did not like her. But he assured them that he would take care of her. Just a day before the incident, Madhuri had called her parents and told them that she had been locked up in a room, deprived of food.
Madhuri's in-laws home was near Bheri Hospital. Meanwhile, Madhuri's family members have accused the police and doctor of Behri Hospital of trying to protect the culprits. Dipendra laments that he had to struggle a lot to register a complaint of murder against Madhuri's husband and in-laws at the Banke District Police Office (DPO).
He argues that it is unfair of the police to call it a suicide as they had not even seen Madhuri's body hanging from the ceiling. "It'll be too early to make a conclusion. We will have to keep our calm and wait for the postmortem report," said Police Inspector Arun Poudel of the DPO.
