- A mother of two allegedly died by suicide due to beatings by her husband in Jaipur
- Their children told reporters he often assaulted her after coming home drunk
- CCTV footage indicating domestic violence has surfaced
A woman sits on the floor of her house, while her husband, visibly angry, stands with his arms crossed and shouts at her, looking down. Their little son stands near her, helpless, as his father pulls her hair and slams her head. All this was captured on CCTV camera installed at the house of a couple in Rajasthan's Jaipur before the woman died by suicide. They were also parents to a little girl.
Anu married Gautam Meena, an executive engineer in the Public Works Department, in 2015. Anu's family alleged that soon after marriage, Gautam began harassing her, often under the influence.
The footage shows the assault and what can be seen as a clear case of domestic violence. In one of the clips, Gautam darts across the living room and punches a flatscreen TV, breaking it.
Anu, with her son standing by her side, is seen dragging herself on the floor as her husband shouts at her. She covers her face with both hands as he tries to grab her.
Their daughter told reporters that she saw her father assault her mother several times, but could not tell her brother due to fear.
"He used to come home drunk. My mother used to stay quiet. Even then he thrashed her," the child said.
Anu's brother said they had been worried for some time, after his sister complained home about the beatings. "She came to us one night with the children. She stayed with us for two-three days. He used to torture her. He would drink and then blame everything on her," the woman's brother said.
A case of harassment and domestic violence has been filed.
Their son, who's just 10, recalled an incident when his father came home and assaulted his mother. He said his mother asked him to give her salt water whenever her blood pressure dropped.
One day, when he tried to help her, his father dismissed the situation. "Father would often hit her, torment her. One day, he came home, played a song on TV, then smashed it and beat mom. I went to get water, but dad blamed mom," the boy said.
Anu died by suicide on April 7. She made a video call to her husband and made him see it. Their neighbours rushed in and took her to hospital, but it was too late.
The police are examining all the CCTV footage now.
