(Express Illustrations | Durgadatt Pandey)
ONGOLE: Andhra Pradesh Commission for Women (APCW) chairperson Vasireddy Padma on Thursday directed district superintendent of police Malika Garg to reinvestigate a case in which a software engineer, identified as Swathi, allegedly committed suicide due to harassment for dowry. On September 5, 2021, Ongole-Disha police station had registered the case.
Swathi’s brother, Vasu lodged a complaint with the APSCW, claiming that his brother-in-law misled the investigation with the help of his uncle who is a ruling party MLA. Following this, Vasireddy Padma directed SP Garg to probe the case again and submit a report to the commission.
It may be recalled that Swathi had married Srikanth, also a software engineer, on May 13, 2020. Her family claimed that they gave 25 tola gold jewellery and Rs 50 lakh cash as dowry at the time of marriage.
Swathi was from Somidevipalli village in Racherla mandal of Prakasam district. While Swathi’s father, Inabattula Venkateswarlu, had served in the army, Srikanth’s father, S Srihari, was an ambulance driver at the Ongole GGH.
After Srihari sustained injuries in an accident and could not work anymore, Srikanth was offered the government job on compassionate grounds. Following this, the family allegedly began harassing Swathi for more money and even insulted her for being dark-complexioned.
In March 2021, she left her husband’s house and went to live with her parents. After three months, Srikanth brought her back to his house in Bhagya Nagar Colony in Ongole.The alleged harassment continued and Srikanth’s family members allegedly hit Swathi on September 4 and asked her to leave the house.
On September 5, they let her in the house. Swathi informed her family regarding the incident. On the same day, the watchman at Srikanth’s house called Swathi’s family and told them that she had committed suicide.The software engineer’s father reportedly found suspicious marks on her neck and lodged a complaint. The DISHA police registered a dowry harassment case and started the investigation.
In his latest complaint, Vasu claimed that Swathi’s post-mortem report was altered to suicide and that there has been no progress in the police investigation.“Even after over a year, we didn’t get justice,” Swathi’s brother said in the complaint.
