Three sisters married into the same family were found dead by suicide in Rajasthan. Their two children, a 4-year-old boy and a 27-day-old infant boy, were also found dead. Two of the sisters were pregnant.
The women Kalu Meena (25), Mamta (23), and Kamlesh (20) were married to three brothers in Chapiya village of Dudu Jaipur district. All three were victims of dowry harassment and domestic violence. Kamlesh had earlier told their father about the domestic violence and said they feared for their lives.
Both children belonged to the eldest Kalu. Mamta and Kamlesh were eight and nine months pregnant.
The Youngest sister Kamlesh shared a WhatsApp status before her death. She wrote in Hindi: "We are leaving now. Stay happy. It is better to die once and for all than die every day. So, we have decided to die together." She added that the reason for their deaths is their in-laws. The sisters also requested not to blame their parents for the suicide.
Kamesh also wrote that they hope to be sisters in the next life as well.
Their family alleged that in-laws regularly harass them for dowry and beat them up. A cousin Hemrja Meen told NDTV that the women went missing on May 25. The family registered an FIR at the local police station, women's helpline, and the national commission. They received very little help.
The family told the police when they asked in-laws about the disappearance, they told the women were dead. Five-seven people and in-laws abused and threatened the sisters' family. "They have died. We don't know anything. Go away or you will also die," said the in-laws. The family alleged that the in-laws killed their daughters and pre-planned it.
The police found all five dead bodies from a well in the Dudu village on Saturday. The police are interrogating the husbands, mother-in-law, and other family members. A case has been registered for offences including cruelty and dowry death will be now added to it.
The state's women activists said Rajasthan should hang its head in shame over such an incident in which women's lives don't matter. They demanded high-level enquiry and action against the police for taking four days to recover the bodies.