Raigad Tribal woman poisoning case: Hubby held for suicide abetment

Navi Mumbai: Mangaon police in Raigad have arrested the husband of the tribal woman for abetment of suicide after she died by allegedly consuming a poison-laced cold drink after feeding the same to her four children, in which her two daughters died at her Kharavali tribal hamlet in Mangaon taluka on Saturday.The woman, Asha Dharma Jadhav, 29, and her two daughters, Nandini, 6, and Durva, 7, were declared brought dead at Mangaon sub-district hospital, while her son Ravi, 8, and Rajshree, 4, survived and are stable in the ICU at Alibaug civil hospital.Following the incident, a police complaint was lodged by Sandeep Mutake, 35, a labourer from Vadavali tribal hamlet, Mangaon taluka, who is the eldest brother of the deceased woman, Asha Jadhav, 29, alleging her husband Dharma is an alcoholic since his sister Asha got married to him in 2016.

Due to his habitual drinking, there were frequent fights between Asha and Dharma, and he used to beat her after coming home drunk.

Therefore, Asha, with her four children, would repeatedly come to his house, when he used to convince her and send her back to her in-laws’ house. On May 20, Asha and Dharma accompanied Mutake to Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri, for labour work at an orchard. While returning from Ganpatipule, Asha told him that she was fed up with Dharma’s habitual drinking and being subjected to physical abuse and harassment by him.

Asha told him that if Dharma did not quit alcohol and stop mistreating her, she would commit suicide. Thereafter, on Saturday afternoon, after a quarrel between Asha and her husband, who even beat her, she took the extreme step by feeding poison-laced cold drink to her four kids before herself consuming it.SPI Sandeep Bagul said, “As per the complaint by Mutake, an FIR was registered under relevant BNS sections wherein Asha’s husband Dharma was booked for abetment of suicide, criminal intimidation and intentional insult to provoke breach of peace.

While the deceased Asha was booked for murder, attempt to murder and causing hurt by means of poison. The arrested accused, Dharma Jadhav, was produced before the Mangaon JMFC court, which remanded him to police custody till June 18.

As the accused woman Asha has died, we will submit an A-summary (Abated Summary) report in the Mangaon JMFC court to officially terminate the pending criminal procedure against the deceased accused woman.”Inspector Bagul said, “As Asha has died and her husband Dharma is in jail, the two kids, Ravi and Rajshree, who have survived poisoning, will now have to be raised and taken care of, and their schooling handled either by their grandparents or Asha’s four brothers, of whom three are elder to her.”