VIJAYAWADA: Unable to bear dowry harassment, a 30-year-old engineering college professor committed suicide by hanging at her residence on Sunday late night. The issue came to light after a complaint was lodged by the deceased’s parents in the Patamata Police Station on Monday.
The deceased, Pasupuleti Shanmukhi, was married to Pasupuleti Vijay, also a professor at a private engineering college, since 2012 and had a 10-year-old son Saharsh, the Patamata Police said. While Shanmukhi worked at CR Reddy Engineering College in Eluru, her husband Vijay is employed with the PSR Engineering College, Vijayawada. Vijay was mentally harassing Shanmukhi for the last two years, threatening to divorce her and marry another woman, the police added.
It is believed that the deceased’s husband had extramarital affairs with multiple women and when Shanmukhi did not give in to his divorce demand, Vijay started to demand dowry in addition to the money she earned.
Shanmukhi then started living with her in-laws in Ramavarappadu to avoid conflict with her husband. The woman’s in-laws had also started harassing her and her son Saharsh for the past one year, it is learnt.
“In order to create pressure on Shanmukhi, Vijay started living separately from his family and moved to another house in the city. Unable to bear their torment, she committed suicide by hanging herself,” said the Patamata police.
Following the complaint made by Shanmukhi’s father, Kollapureddy Sivaiah, a case under 306 of IPC (abetment of suicide) was registered against husband and members of his family.
