The family of a 17-year-old girl in Sahada village under Chandipur police station in Baleshwar district has accused her in-laws of murder.
They allege the death was made to look like suicide due to dowry-related torture.
Mamata Sahu married Manish Sahu of the same village in a love marriage four years ago. The couple has a two-year-old son. Although Mamata was a minor at the time of marriage, she lived with her in-laws. Her family claims she faced regular harassment after the marriage. They say the matter was earlier settled through mediation.
According to the family, Manish Sahu met with a serious accident a few months ago and remains bedridden. They allege that after the accident, in-laws indirectly pressured Mamata for dowry amid financial difficulties.
Mamata allegedly wrote a suicide note yesterday. She was found dead last night. Her parents rushed to Sahada village after receiving the news and staged a protest. They have filed a complaint at Chandipur police station accusing the in-laws of murder and trying to pass it off as suicide.
Police have registered the case and started a detailed investigation into the circumstances of the death.
The incident has also raised questions about the failure of the local child protection system. Critics are asking how a minor girl’s marriage, pregnancy, and delivery went unnoticed by ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) despite government campaigns against child marriage.
