Man booked for abetment through harassment after wife's death

The Ellisbridge Police have registered a case of abetment of suicide against the husband of a 19-year-old woman after her father alleged that continuous physical and mental harassment following their marriage drove her to die by suicide earlier this month.

The deceased, Grishma Suraj Parmar, allegedly died after falling from the second floor of Nehrunagar Apartments in Ahmedabad at around 1.30 am on June 13.

The FIR was registered on June 25 based on a complaint filed by the victim's father, Atulkumar Manilal Purohit (50), a resident of Vadodara. He alleged that his son-in-law, Suraj Jitendrabhai Parmar, threatened to defame his daughter before marriage, forced her into marrying him and later subjected her to repeated physical assault and mental cruelty.

According to the complaint, Grishma was a second-year BBA student at GSFC University, Vadodara, and had been staying in Ahmedabad for nearly two-and-a-half months while undergoing an internship. Her parents claimed they were unaware of her relationship with Suraj during this period.

After completing the internship, she returned to Vadodara in April. Her parents later learnt about the relationship and counselled her, after which she reportedly assured them that she would end it.

However, on May 21, Grishma allegedly left her home without informing her family, prompting them to file a missing person's complaint at the Panigate Police Station in Vadodara. Police later informed the family that she had solemnised a court marriage with Suraj Parmar on May 22.

The complainant stated that family members met the couple on May 31 and requested them to visit Vadodara. He further alleged that Grishma later told him over the phone that she would return home within a day or two.

On the morning of June 13, Suraj allegedly informed the family over the phone that Grishma's condition was critical and asked them to come to Ahmedabad. When they reached LG Hospital, they found that she had died.

After the funeral, the complainant alleged that his wife disclosed that Grishma had repeatedly expressed her desire to return to her parental home but claimed that her husband prevented her from leaving. The complaint further alleges that Suraj frequently suspected her of having an affair with another man and had physically assaulted her on multiple occasions.

The victim's elder sibling also allegedly told the complainant that Grishma had regretted marrying Suraj and had claimed that he threatened to defame her if she refused to marry him.

Based on these allegations, the Ellisbridge Police have registered an FIR against Suraj Jitendrabhai Parmar for abetment of suicide. Police said the complaint was filed after a delay as the family was occupied with the funeral and post-cremation rituals.

Further investigation is underway.