HYDERABAD: The family members of Radhika Agarwal, the daughterin- law of former FAPCCI chairman M L Agarwal, who committed suicide due to dowry harassment, on Wednesday demanded that the case be handed over to the Crime Investigation Department (CID). M L Agarwal and the rest of the family have been missing since Radhika committed suicide.
The Bansal family, whose daughter Radhika was married to M L Agarwal’s son Ankit, charged the police with being lax in arresting the six members of the Agarwal family who are accused in the dowry harassment case.
Radhika hanged in her father’s house at Banjara Hills on June 17.
She died the following day. She left behind a suicide note stating that her husband Ankit, in-laws M L Agarwal and Premlatha Agarwal and her three sisters-in-law used to harass her for additional dowry and humiliate her over petty issues.
The Bansal family approached Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy, State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) chairperson B Subhashan Reddy, Director- General of Police S S P Yadav and other senior police officials for their intervention in nabbing the accused.
The Bansal family along with representatives of women organisations and community leaders held a press conference on Wednesday demanding justice.
“We have approached police officials right from the Director- General of Police (DGP) to the inspector rank but in vain. The response was lax and their attitude was non-serious,” Radhika’s brother Jatin Bansal said.
“Instead of catching the accused, DGP S S P Yadav wants us to provide clues to nab the culprits.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police V Ramakrishnaiah (who recently got transferred) used to tell us that the Agarwals could not be nabbed as they are intelligent criminals,” Jatin said.
“As they have asked us to provide clues, we gave them phone numbers and addresses of those who are close to the Agarwals and whom we suspect are sheltering them. But no action has been taken since then. Police are saying they could not trace the accused as they are clever and changing their mobile SIM cards frequently,” Jatin elaborated.
Radhika’s father, S P Bansal, alleged that Ashok Agarwal, a close friend of M L Agarwal’s and another person named Rajendra Badruka were sheltering the absconding family.
“The police have phone records that Ashok Agarwal is in touch with M L Agarwal but they have not questioned him till now. Similarly, M L Agarwal’s brother and business partner, Brij Mohan Agarwal, is in constant touch with the accused to run the family business,” Bansal alleged.
The Bansal family members could not control their emotions when they read out from the diary in which Radhika noted down the mental trauma she suffered in her in-laws house. “Every word of hers in the diary shows the mental trauma she suffered in the house,” they said and alleged that the Agarwal family was greedy for the crores of property that was in Radhika’s name. The family said they would continue to fight for justice in a peaceful manner but would be forced to take to the streets if they did not get justice soon enough.
