Rashika Jain Death: Family Alleges She Was Being "Tortured" By Husband, In-Laws

Rashika Jain death: On February 16, Rashika Jain died "under mysterious circumstances" by falling from her in-laws' home in the posh Alipore area in West Bengal. The 25-year-old's family has come forward to claim she was allegedly being tortured by her husband and in-laws in the duration of her one-year marriage, which resulted in her death. There has been an outpouring of grief and outrage on social media over Jain's death as well, with trends running high on #JusticeforRashika.

Jain was from a well-to-do business family. She completed her education at St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata and the National University of Singapore. In February 2020, she was married to Kushal Agarwal, the son of Kushal Bharat Group owners. Her family claims Agarwal had substance addiction issues (details unbeknownst to them prior to arranging the couple's marriage) and used to beat her.

Her brother Rishav tells us, "She was going through a lot of torture at her in-laws' place. Her husband was a drug addict as well. What we are looking for now is only justice." He adds that the problem persisted since last year. "In November too, she complained about her husband to us, to me especially. But due to family, we told her to see what could be done. We told her, 'you can change things' or adjust somewhere."

There are also claims from the family of a Rs 7 crore worth dowry the Agarwal family took.

Brother Demands Deeper Investigations In Rashika Jain Death Case

The family, suggesting foul play, has said that Jain's electronic devices (most prominently her mobile) were missing after her death and that the CCTV footage had allegedly been tampered with. Rishav believes the mobile is a key piece of evidence since Jain used it to text her family in the immediate time before her death.

Jain's father has told media her last message to him read: "I tried to live here, but I cannot bear the torture they have done. It is better that I go. Papa don’t miss me." She had even shared passwords to her other devices with her brother, saying the family would need them soon.

News reports suggest cops have retrieved the deceased's mobile phone and are pursuing technical evidence by sending it for forensics. "The fact that she shared the passwords hint that we might land on something crucial," police sources were quoted saying.

As per Rishav, his sister's in-laws and husband have left town. "We have already given all our statements to the police. Everything is done from our side. But it has been one month and no one has been arrested, no interrogations."

The deceased's friends have launched an Instagram campaign to demand proper investigations in the Rashika Jain death case and put an end to "domestic bullying." There was a condolence meet at Allen Park in Kolkata recently too, to demand justice for her.