In Ballia, a young woman’s death leaves a family with many questions
The 21-year-old was found hanging from a tree, her hands tied behind her back. Police say a probe is underway.
4 min read
The police have detained two persons booked in connection with the woman’s death. (Representational)Since the 21-year-old was alone at home in a Ballia village – her parents and sister were away in Lucknow for the mother’s treatment – her aunt visited the house on Sunday morning (March 23) to check in on her.
As the aunt approached the house, she saw what she first thought was a doll hanging from a tree. On a closer look, she found that it was her soon-to-be-married niece, with her hands tied behind her back, hanging lifeless in front of the house.
The aunt alerted other relatives, who came to the house and saw that the main circuit breaker (MCB) had been switched off. Inside, they found half-kneaded dough in the kitchen and flour scattered around.
Ballia Superintendent of Police Omvir Singh told The Indian Express that a postmortem was conducted under video surveillance and that it indicated that the victim died by hanging. “No other injuries were found on her body,” the SP said, adding that further investigation was underway.
‘Nothing remains’
On Monday, her cousin took a long bamboo pole from the bier that carried her a few hours earlier and began to sift through the charred wood from the pyre, checking for any mortal remains. “Kuch nahi bacha hai (nothing remains),” he said.
Around a dozen relatives stood nearby. “The matter has been highlighted… all news channels have been showing this since morning,” said one.
“No one can suppress this matter now. Whoever is responsible will be caught soon,” replied another.
Amid this somber gathering stood a slender man dressed in a white shirt, black pants and grey jacket. “Her beauty was unmatched in the entire village. She was over five feet tall by the time she was just 15,” he said.
His daughter was set to marry in a month. “Her wedding was to be held on April 25. But instead of a bridal procession, she’s getting a funeral,” he said.
Last calls
He recalled speaking to her the day before she was found dead. “She asked when we would return home. I told her we’d be back in two or three days,” her father said.
Her sister said they spoke on Saturday evening. “She was asking about our mother’s health,” she said.
On March 18, at around 2.30 pm, the woman’s parents and her younger sister had boarded a bus to Lucknow. The family left the 21-year-old at home to look after the goats.
Her father said she was an average student and did not pursue higher studies after class 12.
The families had fixed her marriage around five months ago. “The groom’s side was so happy that they didn’t even want anything,” her father said.
He said she was excited about the wedding and was even stitching her own clothes.
Half-kneaded dough, scattered flour
According to the family, on Saturday evening, the victim had been with a friend of hers until around 7-7.30 pm.
“After that, she must have been preparing dinner because we found half-kneaded dough left in the kitchen and flour was scattered around,” her father said.
“The MCB of our house was also found switched off… Someone used the darkness to their advantage,” he said.
“This can’t be a suicide… How can she hang herself with hands tied behind her back… We want a thorough investigation,” he said.
However, Superintendent of Police Omvir Singh claimed the police’s preliminary investigation indicated the woman was unhappy with the upcoming wedding.
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