The National Commission for Women (NCW) has stepped into the suspicious death case of 33-year-old Twisha Sharma in Bhopal, taking suo motu cognisance of the matter and seeking a detailed report from the Madhya Pradesh Government within seven days.
In a strongly worded communication issued on Tuesday, the Commission said it had taken note of media reports surrounding the circumstances of Sharma’s death, which took place barely five months after her marriage. The woman’s family has levelled serious allegations of dowry harassment as well as mental and physical abuse against her husband Samarth Singh and his mother Girijabala Singh.
The commission, chaired by Vijaya Rahatkar, has written to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Madhya Pradesh, directing that the investigation be conducted in a fair, transparent and time-bound manner. It has also sought an Action Taken Report within a week.
The NCW has asked the state authorities to furnish details of the FIR registered in the case, the arrests and interrogation of the accused and steps taken to trace absconding accused Samarth Singh. It has also sought information related to passport impoundment, CCTV footage, call records, electronic and forensic evidence, postmortem findings and action taken on any earlier complaints linked to the case.
The Commission has further directed the authorities to ensure that Sharma’s family is protected from any form of intimidation, pressure or character assassination so that the legal process can continue without interference.
Condemning the incident, the NCW said cases involving dowry harassment and domestic abuse cannot be handled with negligence or influenced by pressure and stressed that strict action against those found responsible must be ensured.
