Twenty-two-year old Kerala woman Vismaya V Nair died by suicide, but she was driven to suicide by constant dowry harassment and mental harassment by her husband Kiran Kumar, says the police chargesheet submitted in the case that had shocked Kerala.
Vismaya, who was a student of Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicines, was found dead in the house of her husband S Kiran Kumar at Sasthamnada near Sasthamkotta in the southern district of Kollam on June 21 this year. Vismaya was also a native of Kollam and hailed from Nilamel near Kadakkal.
Kiran Kumar had surrendered before the police on the same night of Vismaya’s death. His arrest was recorded the next day. A case was filed against him under 408 A (criminal breach of trust) and 304 B (dowry death) of the Indian Penal Code.
The chargesheet, which apparently runs into 500 pages, references 102 witnesses, 98 records and 56 pieces of physical evidence.
According to Rajkumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sasthacotta, who headed the investigation, there are several independent witnesses and circumstantial evidence that are crucial to proving Kiran’s guilt.
"During the investigation, grave issues (related to the death) had popped up and section 304 B of the Indian Penal Code (death of a woman in not in normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage and that soon before the death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by husband) was invoked. This is a case that shook Kerala’s consciousness," Rural Superintendent of Police Kollam KB Ravi told the media.
Advocate Mohandas is the Special Public Prosecutor who will handle the case. "We were bound to submit the charge sheet within 90 days and it has been done within 80 days. The charge sheet was assessed by the prosecutor, the Inspector General (South Zone IG Harshitha Attalluri) and by myself before submitting," the officer added.
"The police have got help from different wings. In this case what became crucial is the digital evidence. The head of the forensic department (Sasikala) too had come to the spot. Both the cyber and forensic wings have strong evidence in the case. There are several independent witnesses, circumstantial evidence and digital evidence the cyber wing has retrieved for the investigating team. Some of the witnesses are in Ernakulam and there is evidence of chat messages sent to them (by Vismaya)."Rajkumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police
The government in August this year had dismissed Kiran Kumar from service, he was an assistant motor vehicle inspector of the Motor Vehicle Department. The action was as per the Kerala Civil Services Rules 1960.
(This story was first published on The News Minute and has been republished in an arrangement with The Quint)
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