Family of woman who died by suicide in New York want 'strictest punishment possible' for husband

After the alleged suicide of an Indian woman in New York who claimed she was facing rampant domestic abuse for years by her husband, the aggrieved woman's family came forward and demanded "the strictest punishment possible" for the husband.

Mandeep Kaur (30) allegedly died by suicide on August 3 after sending a video to her father in which she spoke about years of domestic abuse by her husband Ranjodhveer Singh Sandhu. She is survived by her two daughters, aged 6 and 4.

“Her husband had been torturing her for years, demanding a son. But she said she won't leave him as she couldn't raise her two daughters. We understood,” the father of the deceased told NDTV.

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Mandeep's family lives in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh and has filed a suicide abetment case against the husband. An FIR was registered in the Najibabad area against the in-laws and husband.

In the past, Mandeep’s father had also filed an FIR against her husband in New York after receiving a video from her where he was seen beating his wife. However, worried about her daughters’ future, Mandeep did not want to move forward with further legal action, the father told the news publication.

“Once she told me I shouldn't interfere. I got upset and told her not to include me anymore. Since then she didn't tell me much,” he said.

“I want her husband to get the strictest punishment possible. He should get the death sentence. I appeal to the Indian government to help us get justice,” Mandeep's sister told the news channel.

Condoling the woman's demise, the Indian Consulate said they would "render all assistance" to the family. “We are deeply saddened by the death of Mandeep Kaur in Queens, New York under most tragic circumstances. We are in touch with the US authorities at Federal and local level as well as the community. We stand ready to render all assistance,” the Indian Consulate tweeted on Saturday.

(With agency inputs)