“She was such a brave girl. She never had any bad intentions. she would never do anything bad to anybody.”
The parents of 29-year-old homemaker Bhavana were shattered to hear that their daughter had fallen off the balcony of her seventh-floor apartment in Bengaluru along with her two-year-old son on July 2. Their daughter, a commerce graduate, had dreams of becoming a chartered accountant someday.
Bhavana was rushed to Baptist Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Her son Devansh had died on the spot. The victim’s husband Arihant, his parents and his younger brothers also lived with them in the same apartment, which is located along Dinnur Main Road near RT Nagar.
On Thursday morning, RT Nagar Police arrested Bhavana’s husband Arihant in connection with the case. Police have registered an FIR against Arihant under sections 302 (murder) and 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC.
Bhavana’s parents say that her turbulent relationship with her husband and in-laws had driven her to take the extreme measure. Speaking to TNM, Bhavana’s uncle Prakash said that she had hinted to her family that she was facing some harassment at her marital home.
“She had told us that she is facing some harassment and torture. She said the mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law don't talk to her. We had counselled her then that these are initial things and it takes time to adjust. You can sort this out and later on you can lead a peaceful life. But yesterday, things went to such a deep end and after that, we came to know everything. Before that, we didn't know,” Prakash said.
Investigating officers say that Bhavana’s husband Arihant was physically and emotionally abusive and had even beaten her during several previous arguments, as he doubted her fidelity.
“The man was the jealous type. He always wanted to know where she went and what she did. He would keep tabs on her daily activities and even as ask his mother to keep him informed of who she spoke to or interacted,” an investigating officer told TNM.
The police, who have noted the statements of Bhavana’s family members, say that Arihant did not want Bhavana to go back to studying for her Chartered Accountancy examination.
“Based on what we have learnt so far, the victim’s husband was always suspicious. He did not want her to leave the house. If she was talking to someone on the phone, he would accuse her of cheating on him. The woman’s family say that he even doubted whether the little boy was his child and the couple had fought about it on several occasions,” the police said.
Prakash told TNM that the police have retrieved the couple’s mobile phones when they checked their apartment.
“The police have taken the phones and there were some final chats, where the husband is talking nonsense and she says 'I am going, you do whatever you want, you take care of your life, I am going',” Prakash told TNM.
On July 2, Arihant allegedly goaded Bhavana to jump off the balcony during an argument. Bhavana, who was upset with her husband’s accusations, allegedly took her son into the bedroom and locked it.
“We brought the husband in for questioning yesterday (Wednesday). He says that she locked herself in the room and they learnt of her death only when the security guard informed him. We will soon arrest his mother too. The woman was being mentally harassed every day. Her sisters say that she stayed with her husband because she could not afford to leave her son alone with him. We have learnt that she was scared of Arihant,” the police added.
Prakash told TNM, “The husband started taking money from us. He has taken money for school fees and for his son’s admission. That guy has such a false ego that ultimately, we thought we are not going to gain anything now by accusing anyone so we lodged a formal complaint. She was such a brave girl, she never had any bad intentions, she would never do anything bad to anybody.”