Woman attempts suicide over property dispute

Family says she consumed poison after assault by cops

A property dispute led to a 23-year-old woman attempting suicide by consuming poison at her residence at KG Lakkenahalli in Madanayakanahalli on June 8. The woman, Shwetha, is in coma and is being treated at a private hospital.

But Shwetha’s family members claim that she was assaulted by police constables attached to the Madanayakanahalli police station, pushing her to attempt suicide.

Shwetha’s father Narayanappa owned a piece of land in KG Lakkenahalli and the family members claim that he was cheated by his brothers, who sold off the land. The person who purchased the land constructed a house there. On June 6, the house owner started laying water pipes and Shwetha, who noticed this, picked a fight and the work was stopped. Shwetha and the house owner approached the police and both submitted complaints to the police.

On June 8, Shwetha again picked a fight with the house owner, saying that the land was not divided equally among the family members and asked him to leave the place. As things started getting ugly, the Madanayakanahalli police were informed, who went to the spot and asked them to settle the matter amicably or approach the court. Shwetha got furious, went home and consumed poison, the police said.

Her family members shifted Shwetha to a nearby private hospital. The doctors asked them to shift her to a better hospital as she had consumed a dangerous pesticide.

“On Tuesday evening, her condition deteriorated and she slipped into coma. Her family members claimed that she was assaulted by the constables and unable to bear the embarrassment, she attempted suicide. They also filed a complaint with the police, naming a few constables who assaulted Shwetha. The names of the constables cannot be revealed till the investigation is completed,” said a senior police officer.

“The police have registered a non-cognisable offence. It cannot be ascertained whether the claims of the family members are true that Shwetha was assaulted by the constables. The Madanayakanahalli police inspector has been ordered to investigate. If the incident has occurred, necessary action will be taken against the constables,” the officer said.