Surat BJP leader’s son, woman friend held for abetment days after his wife’s ‘suicide’

The Surat Rural Police on Saturday arrested a 26-year-old man – the son of a former vice president of the women's wing of the Surat BJP – and his female friend on charges of abetment to suicide and alleged dowry demands, days after his wife “died by suicide”.

The accused, Saurabh Singh, is the son of Sashi Sanjay Singh Rajput, a former vice president of the BJP's women’s wing in the district. Earlier, the brother of the deceased registered a complaint against his brother-in-law (Saurabh Singh) and his female friend.

According to the Kadodara police, Saurabh Singh's wife Nidhi Kumari (24) allegedly died by suicide at her matrimonial home in Kadodara town on Tuesday, when the other family members were not at home. Sashi Rajput returned home later the same day and found Nidhi’s body hanging in her bedroom, following which she called her husband Sanjay Singh and son Saurabh and also informed the police.

A police team soon reached the house and sent the body to a hospital for postmortem examination. Doctors found a suicide note written in Hindi while checking clothes on the body, police said. Nidhi's brother Aditya Kumar Singh, a resident of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, reached Surat after being informed about the incident and lodged a police complaint against his brother-in-law and his female friend.

On the basis of the complaint, the Kadodara police on Wednesday registered a complaint and booked the two under BNS 108 (abetment of suicide) and 85 (harassment of a woman by her husband or his relatives). Kadodara police inspector V A Desai said on Saturday, “In the suicide note, Nidhi Kumari had mentioned “frequent arguments” with her husband over his “illicit relationship” with a woman friend.

Further investigation is underway.”