Vismaya Dowry Death: Kerala Court Sentences Kiran Kumar To 10 Years In Jail For Abetting Wife's Suicide

Vismaya was an Ayurveda medical student who hanged herself in June last year due to dowry harassment by her husband in Kerala.

Vismaya and Kiran Kumar (File Photo)

Chennai: A Kerala court awarded 10 years of imprisonment to Vismaya’s husband Kiran Kumar in connection with her suicide over dowry harassment on Tuesday. On Monday, the court convicted Kiran Kumar of dowry harassment and abetting the suicide of Visamaya. 

Vismaya was a student of Ayurveda medicine who hanged herself in June last year due to dowry harassment.

A day after the court found Kiran Kumar guilty, the Kollam court pronounced the sentence on Tuesday. After hearing the arguments on behalf of the prosecution and the convict, the Court sentenced Kiran Kumar to 10 years of imprisonment.

Visamaya's husband who was the sole accused in the case was booked under various sections of dowry-related harassment under the IPC and various provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

In a 500-page charge sheet, Kerala police said, Visamaya killed herself due to dowry harassment.

Visamaya (22) got married to Kiran Kumar in May 2020 after getting to know him through a matrimonial site. The family provided a dowry of 100 sovereigns of gold, one-acre of land and a new car worth Rs 11 lakh to Kiran. However, a few days after the wedding he started to allegedly abuse Vismaya and demanded to replace the car with a Honda City and give additional cash. 

He hit her multiple times and even slapped her in front of her parents. Though she went to stay at her mother's place for some time, she moved back to her husband's home. Later, the abuse intensified and it continued even after she suffered injuries to her mouth and hands.

Against this backdrop, Visamaya was found dead at her husband’s home at Sasthamkotta in Kollam district on June 21, 2021. The investigation revealed that even a day before her death, Vismaya had sent a WhatsApp message to her relative about the dowry harassment by Kiran and sent them photos of wounds and marks on her due to the alleged manhandling by Kiran.

In this case, several digital evidence and WhatsApp message were used to find the accused guilty. The police examined 42 witnesses, 108 documents and several call records during the trial.