Mita Mondal, a resident of Sukantapally, in Garia, Kolkata, committed suicide by hanging herself with her dupatta at her husband's home. Mita had completed her Master's in Bengali from Jadavpur University in 2015 with a first class degree.

In April this year, the 24-year-old got married to Rana Mondal, a laboratory technician at a private hospital in Kushberia, Uluberia, close to his home.

Mita's family members and friends refused to believe that she has committed suicide. Instead, they accused Mita's husband and in-laws of torturing her, leading to her demise.

Mita's uncle Ranjit said that "Rana was an alcoholic who used to beat her up. She has been murdered."

A group of students of Jadavpur University came together to take out a rally in Kolkata. They protested against domestic violence on Mita.

Mita is the daughter of a mason. In spite of her hardships, she was academically gifted and proved herself in the MA final examinations.

Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has met Mita's father at her office in Kolkata and offered a slew of compensations. Banerjee has promised to write off a loan of Rs 70,000, which Mita's father had taken to marry off his daughter, with money from the CM's special funds. She has also promised a job for Mita's brother and ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to take up the case.

With the CID arrested Mita's husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law. Mita's mother-in-law, Kalpana Mondal, who is allegedly involved in her death, is absconding.

According to Rana, Mita had met him at a wedding two years ago and fell in love with. The couple had gone out on Monday evening to celebrate Navami, the penultimate day of Durga Puja. Mita had gone home to spend the first few days of the puja with her family. But her husband brought her back on Saptami, in the middle of the puja.

Rana also said, "on returning home after an evening out on Nabami, Mita had insisted on going out with him again. But I went off to see his friends instead. I even promised to take her out again. When I returned home, I found his wife had killed herself by hanging and rushed her to the private hospital where he was employed."

Reports in the media say "Mita was brought dead and her body, apart from being stained with blood, was badly bruised. There were signs of injury on her face and forehead. Rana told the doctors that his wife's body had hit the furniture as he was trying to pull her down, but his explanation wasn't convincing. The police did not find any suicide note either, indicating the case was one of suicide. The autopsy report revealed deep wounds and marks of stabbing in other parts of her body and also said that indications of death by hanging were palpable. There were only preliminary observations, not the final confirmation of the exact reason behind the death, which would be ascertained after the viscera have been examined. Under the circumstances, it is not established yet if Mita killed herself or was assaulted by her husband in a violent altercation and then hanged, which eventually ended her life."

Mita's brother Khokon claimed "it was not possible for anyone to hang themselves in the room his sister shared with her husband. The family had noticed marks of injury on Mita's face on her earlier visits, but she had refused to divulge any details on their questioning. During her last stay with her family, Mita had asked her father for a loan of Rs 100,000 to help her husband with a business venture. When her father expressed his inability to fork out such a sum, Mita was worried about being insulted by her in-laws."

Khokon also told reporters that his family was aware of tensions between Mita and her husband. "Rana's drinking habit was the reason of his fights with my sister. We used to intervene and resolve these tiffs," he said.

Mita's horrific death, without a doubt, is shocking, A woman being abused and assaulted by her alcoholic husband is not a matter that should be left entirely to being resolved through the intervention of their families. Such a situation is not a personal but a law-and-order problem, violating human rights and carrying the threat of severe repercussions.

Also Read: Woman gang-raped in moving SUV in Kolkata

BY M. DIVYA SRI