BJP Minister Pankaja Munde (Express Photo)
A Mumbai court Monday remanded Anant Garje, the personal assistant (PA) of Maharashtra Environment Minister Pankaja Munde, in police custody till November 27, in connection with the case over alleged suicide of his wife Dr Gauri Palve.
The Mumbai police on Sunday lodged an FIR against him on charges of abetment to suicide based on the statement by Gauri’s father, Ashok Palve, and he was arrested on Monday.
A police officer said they are awaiting the postmortem report of Dr Gauri Palve, 28, to confirm if she died by suicide, and rule out any foul play. The postmortem report was not given by the hospital on Monday.
The police have said Palve, a dentist with KEM Hospital, was alone at their Worli residence Saturday when she allegedly died by suicide.
Meanwhile, Pankaja Munde said the police should investigate the matter and ensure there are no lapses.
Gauri and Anant got married in Beed in February this year.
In the FIR, her father alleged that Gauri was subjected to mental harassment after the marriage, and the couple quarrelled frequently. He said Gauri sent him several photographs on WhatsApp on October 3, which indicated that Garje was in a relationship with another woman.
He said when Gauri confronted Garje, he threatened her saying he would die suicide, and blame her for his death.
She alleged that Garje’s brother-in-law and his wife knew about this relationship, and threatened her that if she left him, they would get him married again.
Gauri’s parents said when they recently visited the Worli residence of their daughter, they saw some injury marks on her body. They said she refused to talk about the marks.Her father said he missed two calls from her last Friday, and when he called her back later, she told him everything was fine. He said they received a call from Garje on Saturday evening, who told them that their daughter had died by suicide.
She was declared dead at the Nair Hospital. The Worli police have registered a case, based on the father’s complaint, under abetment to suicide, husband/relatives subjecting wife to cruelty, among other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The family urged the police to investigate whether it was a murder.
Gauri’s uncle alleged that his niece was murdered by Garje and his family members and demanded an in-camera postmortem examination, and an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He also appealed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, seeking a detailed probe.