Forensic experts are examining the death of a 22-year-old woman from Doddakanya village on the outskirts of Mysuru earlier this month to rule out foul play in the light of her family’s opposition to her plans of marrying a Dalit boy.

The woman, who had been working as a data entry operator with the Agriculture Department in Mysuru on contractual basis, was found dead in her house on September 2, 2020, weeks after she had she had brought to the notice of the police and an NGO the “mental and physical” torture her family members were subjecting her to by forcibly detaining her at home.

Additional Superintendent of Mysuru district police R. Shivakumar said the police was awaiting the post-mortem report and the opinion of the forensic experts to rule out foul play. The police department has asked the medical and forensic experts to expedite their study, he added.

The deceased woman, who had completed her B.A. and B.Ed, had written to the police and the NGO – Odanadi Seva Samsthe – in June about the trouble she was facing from her family members over her love life. Subsequently, the police visited her house and took an undertaking from her family members against troubling her. However, her request to allow her to study for competitive examinations by staying in a paying guest accommodation had been turned down for the time being due to COVID-19 imposed lockdown.

The deceased followed up her demand for separate accommodation again through another appeal made in a letter dated August 6 in which she also talks about ending her life due to the frustration she was enduring by staying in her family’s house. Subsequently, the woman, when called to the police station, assured the officials that she was no longer facing any trouble from the family and had even said she would marry the boy of their choice.

The police had updated Odanadi Seva Samsthe on August 19 that the woman was not facing any difficulty with her family members. But, when she was found dead on September 2, Parashu from Odanadi Seva Samsthe said they asked the police to inquire into the matter to rule out foul play. The family members, meanwhile, told the police that she was depressed and had ended her life.

(People in distress of having suicidal thoughts may seek counselling by contacting Karnataka’s Suicide Prevention Helpline on 104.)