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“She is mine, and mine alone. That's why it happened.” This is what 40-year-old Satheesh Sankar said when asked about the physical assault he subjected his wife Athulya to. He was speaking to the media on Sunday, July 20, two days after the death of 30-year-old Athulya, a native of Kollam living in Sharjah. While he admitted that he used to beat his wife, he justified it saying it was “out of love”.
He said, “I won't claim that I didn’t beat her. I did that when I was drunk. But I didn’t do that every day. Her family claims I drink every day and I physically assaulted her every day, that’s not true,” he said. He further said, “I know it's not right to beat my wife.” He also said that these were their personal matters and that it is something that happens in every home.
Meanwhile, he also alleged that Athulya used to beat him, which too he believed was out of love. “I don't know what to do next, what will happen to my job, or my future. She used to physically abuse me. When she got angry, she didn’t know what to do,” he said, showing marks on his hands and legs. “I won’t blame her for this. She did it because she was angry, because she loved me. I just want to know what happened to her. She would never die by suicide. Maybe she did this to scare me, or something else happened to her. I want to find out,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to reports Satheesh has been fired from his job on Monday, July 21.
Athulya, a native of Kozhivila in Kollam, was found dead in her apartment in Rolla, Sharjah, on July 18. In the days leading up to her death, she sent a voice note to her sister describing repeated instances of physical and emotional abuse by her husband. Following her death, several news channels in Kerala aired videos allegedly showing Satheesh wielding a chair in what appeared to be a threatening manner.
Meanwhile, Satheesh claimed that in many of those videos, he was acting after noticing that Athulya was recording him. “She used to record videos for fun. Since she did that, I also started overacting. I did it out of stubbornness. Now all that has come back to haunt me,” he said.
Satheesh also told the media that Athulya had wanted to live separately, but he had opposed it. “She used to say she wanted her own space. But for all these years, I’ve struggled, for whom, and for what? In the end, I’m the one who’s left alone. I have no one,” he said. He also claimed that he had been estranged from his family in recent years, saying Athulya discouraged his contact with them.
Separately, a friend of Athulya, speaking anonymously to the media, alleged that the couple had experienced issues from the start of their marriage and that Athulya had been a victim of both physical and emotional abuse.
“He used to cause problems and then apologize. Her family asked her to return home, but she chose to stay. Most of the time, after harassing her, he would say he didn’t remember what he had done and then apologise. He is an alcoholic. There’s a significant age gap between them, and that led to frustrations,” the friend said.
Athulya and Satheesh were married for 12 years and have a daughter. The child now lives with Athulya’s family, reportedly due to Satheesh's alleged behavior.
A case has been registered against Satheesh by the Chavara Thekkumbhagam police following a complaint by Athulya’s parents. He has been charged under Indian law with murder, cruelty against women, voluntarily causing hurt, grievous hurt using dangerous weapons, and dowry harassment.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.