Assam: Man arrested for killing wife over dowry in Lakhimpur district

LAKHIMPUR: The sensation in connection with alleged killing of a newly married woman, namely Deboleena Sonowal living at Narayanpur Chapori Gaon under Dhakuakhana subdivision of Lakhimpur district over dowry issue continues till date.

Regarding the case, Dhakuakhana Police arrested Deboleena’s husband Paban Baruah on Wednesday. Police presented the culprit before the Dhakuakhana Judicial Magistrate Court on Thursday and took him in remand for further interrogation. In the meantime, a case vide No. 31/2024 has been registered against Paban Baruah at Dhakuakhana Police Station for the charge of demanding dowry and under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.

It should be noted here that the incident of harassment against the daughters-in-law over dowry issue and alleged killing of Deboleena Sonowal surfaced in the State from Dhakuakhana following the mysterious death of the newly married woman. The body of Deboleena Sonowal was discovered hanging from a ceiling fan in her husband’s house on Tuesday. She was reportedly a minor by age and she was the daughter of Pradip Sonowal, a resident of Kekuri Kochari Gaon under Sonari Chapori Police Outpost. Just two months ago, she got married to Paban Baruah, son of Mridul Baruah, resident of Narayanpur Chapori Gaon under Dhakuakhana Police Station. It was reported that when Paban Baruah married Deboleena, she was just a higher secondary second year student at Dhakuakhana Higher Secondary School.

Following the discovery of Deboleena’s body in the hanging condition from the ceiling fan, the deceased father alleged foul play, claiming that his daughter was murdered in a premeditated manner, with her in-laws attempting to disguise it as suicide due to their inability to pay a dowry of Rs 5 lakh and a gold chain. According to the deceased’s family, Deboleena had to bear constant physical and mental torture by her in-laws over dowry issue. Her mother accused that her husband, Paban Baruah, of inflicting physical and mental abuse on her daughter regularly.

Later police shifted the body to Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital for postmortem. However, the incident took a critical turn on Wednesday. The irrate public conducted the cremation of the deceased at lawn of the Paban Baruah’s house. Later several hundred women demonstrated at Dhakuakhana Police Station demanding capital punishment for Paban Baruah.

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