Kerala woman suicide sparks uproar: Mob trial alleged, family points to financial exploitation
The suicide of a 40-year-old woman allegedly due to a mob trial in Kerala has triggered controversy, with police arresting three men based on clues from her suicide note, while her family has come forward to defend the arrested men and instead accused her male friend of financially exploiting her.
Raseena, a mother of three, was found dead at her home in Pinarayi village on Tuesday.
According to police, her suicide note suggested she faced public humiliation and distress caused by certain individuals, leading to the arrest of three people.
However, Raseena's mother, Fathima, said on Friday that the arrested persons are relatives who had no role in her daughter's death.
"They are innocent. The real issue is that my daughter was cheated out of her gold and money," she told reporters, adding that the family plans to lodge a complaint against the young man from Mayyil village who used to visit Raseena regularly.
"She had around 40 sovereigns of gold when she got married, but now there's nothing left. She had also borrowed money from many people. We believe that man took everything. Her husband is a respectable man and knew nothing about it," Fathima said.
Meanwhile, police confirmed that the suicide note suggested a state of emotional breakdown.
They allege that some people intimidated and defamed Raseena, even forcibly taking devices, including a mobile phone, from her friend. "She wrote that she was in a situation where she could no longer live," a police officer told reporters.
Devices were recovered from those who had a role that allegedly led to her suicide, police said. All those involved in the alleged mob trial were questioned in detail, they said.
Police added that Raseena's friend, identified as Rahees, will also be questioned to understand the full picture.
Following a note recovered from the scene, police had arrested three workers of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a political offshoot of the banned Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), in connection with the case.
The arrested were identified as V C Mubsheer (28), K A Faisal (34), and V K Rafnas (24) -- all residents of the same area.
Police said the group allegedly questioned Raseena and her friend near a mosque, later assaulting the man and detaining him for several hours.
They allegedly took away his mobile phone and tablet and summoned family members to an SDPI office before releasing him late at night.
Responding to the suicide of the woman, a mother of three, following the alleged moral policing incident, senior CPI(M) leader and All India Democratic Women's Association national president P K Sreemathi said what happened in that village was "Talibanism."
"It is the mindset of certain people who believe that a Muslim woman should not speak to a man who is not her husband, and it was this Taliban-like mentality that led to the young woman's suicide," Sreemathi told a news channel.
"This is not just extremism -- it is beyond extremism, it is sheer terror. Such terrifying acts and extremist activities must be ended," she said.
Sreemathi said this cannot be allowed to continue on Kerala's soil.
"The people of Kerala will face this head-on. This must be uprooted. We must confront this with full strength," she said.
Discussing suicides can trigger some individuals. Nevertheless, suicides are preventable. Important suicide prevention helpline numbers in India include 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).
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