RANCHI: A 28-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide following a dispute with her husband over the money she had received under the state government’s ‘Maiyan Samman Yojana.’ The deceased, identified as Priyanka Kumari, was married to Sunil Sao.
However, Priyanka’s parents have alleged that she was murdered over a dispute related to the monthly financial assistance provided under the scheme. They stated that there were frequent disputes between Priyanka and her husband, and that a conflict had also arisen between them regarding the funds from the ‘Maiya Samman Yojana.’
According to them, Sunil had used the money credited to Priyanka’s account to purchase a mobile phone, triggering an argument between the couple on Wednesday. Her parents further alleged that Sunil and his mother assaulted Priyanka before hanging her.
They alleged that Priyanka’s death was not a case of suicide but murder. Her father claimed that her husband and mother-in-law assaulted her before hanging her.
"The dispute arose after Sunil withdrew the money credited to my daughter’s account under Maiyan Samman Yojana and purchased a mobile phone. Following this, the mother-son duo assaulted her and hanged her to death," alleged her father, Bittu Sao. He further claimed that after hanging her, both of them escaped from there.
Reportedly, Priyanka’s husband, Sunil Sao, was harvesting paddy in the fields, while the children were at home at the time of the incident.
During this time, Priyanka hanged herself from a ceiling fan using a ‘dupatta’ (scarf). There are also reports that a piece of cloth was set on fire inside the house prior to the incident; however, the reason for this and the exact sequence of events remain unclear.
The officer in-charge of Mahagama police station, Abhinav Anand, informed us that prima facie it appears to be a suicide case.
"Further action will be taken once a formal application is received from the family members," said the officer in-charge. He further added that the matter is under investigation; subsequent steps will be determined based on the post-mortem report, statements from the family and evidence collected from the scene. At present, the exact cause of the married woman's death remains unclear.
