They were going to burn the village and kill
In a frightening case of pressure, forced marriage, and suicide, a 14-year-old girl took her own life in Rajghar.
In the Dehri Jagir village, there are customs that the villagers must adhere to due to their low wealth and income.
One of these is daughters must marry young or at least be promised to another family.
This bond brings a dowry to the daughter’s family, which can come in the form of money, gifts, and goods.
In this incident, a father promised his two-year-old daughter to someone. But this was quickly broken off.
Then when the girl turned 11 years old, she was forcefully engaged to another boy, named Bablu.
At the time, Bablu’s father gave silver bangles to the daughter’s family and also said she wouldn’t have to stay with her in-laws until she was an adult.
Three years later, aged 14, the girl started getting pressure from her in-laws to stay with them.
When the girl’s father refused, he received threats that his village would be burned down, which didn’t go down lightly.
Suddenly, around 25 people showed up at the Dehri Jagir village.
Bablu’s family again forced their “daughter-in-law” to come with them otherwise they were going to burn the village and kill her father too.
As they left with the girl, they also took the silver they had given when the girl was aged 11. So, the family was frightened as to how they would survive and what would happen to their daughter.
Bablu’s family then sent a paper the next day saying a decision would be made. Whilst the police have not stated what this letter or decision referred to, many assume it was about the girl’s life.
However, worried about what would happen to her family and herself, the young 14-year-old girl made a decision.
She escaped early hours on the morning of May 18, 2023, and didn’t return home within an hour.
When people went searching for her, they saw the girl’s body hanging from a forest tree. She had committed suicide by hanging herself with her dupatta.
After getting the information about the incident, the Kalipith police reached the spot and took possession of the body.
Police got the postmortem done at Rajgarh District Hospital and handed over the girl’s body to the relatives.
Her parents were seen distraught and in tears outside the police station as they try to seek justice for their daughter.
The incident highlights what many families have to suffer and the sacrifices they have to make in order to survive.
It also shows what young women have to go through and how many of them have no say in what happens in their future.
Suicide is a massive problem within these deprived villages and many situations like this go unnoticed.
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