In a posh locality last month, Rashika Agarwal, a 25-year-old woman in Kolkata, fell to her death at her in-laws' place. Now her family has alleged that she was tortured by her husband and others, leading to her death. They have further alleged that the in-laws had taken Rs 7 crore dowry apart from other expenses.
Her in-laws had taken dowry worth Rs 7 crore from the Jain family, apart from other expenses and demands made by the Agarwal family after the arranged marriage, according to the complaint filed with the police.
The woman's family now demands justice for Rashika Agarwal and seeks punishment for the husband and his family, which gained momentum in Kolkata.
Rashika had told her parents that Kushal Agarwal, 26 year old businessman, son of Naresh Agarwal, known to be behind several business ventures across West Bengal, including Bharat Hi-Tech Cement Private Limited was into drugs, alcohol and used to torture her. Rashika's family has alleged that Kushal's habits were not known to them before the marriage.
According to Rashika's parents, she would ask for money on several occasions as demanded by her husband Kushal. When Rashika asked Kushal not to make the demands, he would abuse and torture her, they alleged.
Father alleges torture
Her father said that Rashika was forced to jump to death. "My daughter had written a message on WhatsApp to me, my son Rishav, Kushal and Naresh before she died. Her message said, "I tried to live here, but I cannot bear the torture they have done. It is better that I go. Papa don't miss me." The message was sent at 2:03 pm , he said.
Around the same time, Rashika's mother Sangita Jain received a call from Neelam Agarwal, Rashika's mother-in-law saying her daughter had jumped from the rooftop on the third floor and that she had been rushed to a private hospital.
Rashika passed away on the same day at 9:35 pm. The doctors told Rashika's father that she had injuries all over her body due to the impact of the fall which led to internal bleeding. Despite her family arranging for blood, Rashika could not survive the fatal injuries.
"When I reached the hospital, Neelam and Kushal were present and Naresh was in Delhi. They had arrived at the hospital before we did. We are still unclear whether Kushal was at home when she fell from the rooftop," added Mahendra Jain.
"I did not speak much to Rashika's in-laws as we were arranging for blood and speaking to the doctors to save Rashika. Her in-laws were sitting at the reception. Kushal was sitting in the car and did not help at all," Rashika's father added.
Naresh Agarwal had reached the hospital at 8:30 pm and was with Rashika's parents and brother till 10:00 pm after Rashika passed away. The families then went to their respective houses.
Rashika's father filed a police complaint on February 17 saying she was tortured by her husband and in-laws which led to the death. Elaborate details were given on February 25 to the police by her family to substantiate their complaint.
Online campaign #JusticeForRashika
Soon after the incident, online campaign #JusticeForRashika has been started on social media to demand justice for the 25-year-old woman.
As per her family, Rashika was known to be a good student and had studied at Mahadevi Birla School in Kolkata and went on to pursue Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at St. Xavier's College in Kolkata. For her higher studies, Rashika went to the National University of Singapore for her Business Management degree. Rashika returned home in 2019 and was working with her father in his transport business, Nirwan Logistics.
Her friends from Kolkata and Singapore initiated a #JusticeForRashika social media campaign on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram on February 28. The campaign seeks to know what led to Rashika's death.
