A 30-year-old woman and two children died when they fell from the Upli bastion at Naldurg Fort in Dharashiv. Police booked her husband and three relatives for dowry harassment.
Dharashiv, Maharashtra: A tragedy at the Naldurg Fort in Maharashtra’s Dharashiv district has left a family devastated after a 30-year-old woman and two of her children fell from the fort’s Upli bastion. The woman’s third child also fell in the incident and is in hospital to be treated.
The incident took place on Thursday when Ashwini Manohar Pol, a local resident of Vhantal village, visited Naldurg Fort with her three young children. She was accompanied by her five-year-old son Ajinkya and their two-and-a-half-year-old twin daughters Veera and Kranti.
According to police, Ashwini and her three children fell from the Upli bastion, the highest point of the historic fort. The fall killed Ashwini, her son Ajinkya, and one of the twin daughters. The other twin daughter survived but suffered serious injuries and was admitted to a hospital for further treatment.
The reason for the fall is still being investigated. An accidental death report was initially registered by the police after the incident. But the case turned out to be different when Ashwini's father Tanaji Mohite approached the authorities and filed a complaint saying that his daughter was being harassed over dowry by her husband and his family.
Following the complaint, Naldurg Police filed a case against Ashwini's husband Manohar Pol, his father Ankush Pol, and two women relatives. The four accused are residents of Ambulga in the Latur district. Police have not made any arrests in connection with the case so far, and the investigation is ongoing.
In his complaint, Mohite alleged that Ashwini was repeatedly harassed over dowry. He also claimed that she was taunted after she gave birth to twin daughters and was allegedly pressured to get money and gold bangles from her parents.
The complaint also alleges that Ashwini’s husband and his family wanted financial support to purchase an autorickshaw. She was repeatedly pressed to arrange for money from her family to pay for this, the documents claimed.
Police have registered the case under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These are Section 80 for dowry death; Section 108 for abetment of suicide; Section 85 for cruelty against a woman by her husband or relatives; and Section 3(5) for acts that are done with common intention.
The case has drawn much attention to the damage dowry-related harassment and domestic cruelty can have. But Ashwini's father will have to establish what he says using the ongoing investigation and any subsequent legal processes.
Investigators are examining the circumstances that led to the deaths as well as allegations in the complaint. Police will be collecting statements and evidence as part of the investigation.
The deaths of Ashwini and her two children shocked the local community, while the survival of her third child has compounded the tragedy. As the investigation continues, police will investigate what happened at Naldurg Fort and whether the allegations of continued harassment are connected to the incident.
