Giridih (Jharkhand), July 10 (IANS) A woman in Jharkhand’s Giridih district died under suspicious circumstances barely a month after her marriage, leading to protests by her family on Friday.

Her family members and villagers staged a road blockade with the body on the Jamua-Khorimahua main road, demanding the arrest of her in-laws and a fair investigation into the incident.

The blockade was lifted later after police intervened.

Rajia Khatoon, a resident of Bhucharobad (Azad Nagar) in Giridih district, had married Abjal Ansari, a resident of Kurumdih village under the Herodih police station area, about a month ago.

On Thursday evening, she died under suspicious circumstances. Following the incident, members of her family reached the village and accused her in-laws of killing her for dowry.

According to the deceased’s family, the in-laws had been demanding a motorcycle since the marriage and had allegedly subjected Rajia to continuous harassment when the demand was not met. They claimed that the harassment ultimately led to her death.

After receiving information about the incident, police took custody of the body on Thursday and sent it to Giridih Sadar Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

On Friday, after the post-mortem examination, family members brought the body back, placed it on the road and launched a protest.

The blockade brought traffic on the Jamua-Khorimahua route to a standstill, with long queues of vehicles forming on both sides.

Upon being informed, Herodih Police Station in-charge Mahesh Chandra reached the spot with a police team. Following prolonged discussions with the protesters, the blockade was called off, and the last rites of the deceased were performed.

Station in-charge Mahesh Chandra said the investigation is underway and it is not yet clear whether the case involves murder or suicide.

He said further action would be taken on the basis of the post-mortem examination report and scientific evidence.

A case will be registered under relevant sections once a written complaint is received from the family, he added.

–IANS

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