Who Was Mandeep Kaur? Sikh Woman Dies By Suicide After 8 Years Of Domestic Abuse

Mandeep Kaur died by suicide after allegedly being abused by her husband Ranjodhbeer Singh Sandhu for 8 years. She had two daughters that are in the custody of their father.

The 30-year-old Indian-origin woman Mandeep Kaur based in Richmond, New York died by suicide on August 3. Kaur had recorded a video accusing her husband Ranjodhbeer Singh Sandhu of domestic violence and named her mother-in-law as well. She is survived by her two daughters aged four and six years old.

In the video, Kaur said she could no longer tolerate any more domestic violence and decided to take her life. She also accused her husband of having extra-marital affairs and accused her mother-in-law of verbally abusing her family and encouraging her son to assault her.

Who Was Mandeep Kaur?

• Mandeep Kaur hailed from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh and had two daughters with her husband Ranjodhbeer Singh Sandhu.
• Kaur’s younger sister Kuldeep spoke with The Indian Express and said Kaur and Sandhu had gotten married 8 years ago. She claimed that Sandhu had been deported from New Zealand and later travelled to the United States and started a transport business.
• Kaur’s father Jaspal Singh is seeking custody of Kaur’s daughters and appealed to the government to help bring her body back to India.
• In the video, Kaur said the abuse began when they lived in India and continued when they moved to New York. She added that her in-laws did not help her.
• In another video, Sandhu can be seen strangling Kaur as their children cried and begged him to stop beating her.
• A campaign “Justice for Mandeep” was launched in Richmond and people demanded that Sandhu be arrested.
• A social media page called The Kaur Movement shared videos and updates regarding the case. According to the Instagram biography, The Kaur Movement aims to help sexual and domestic abuse victims.
• The Kaur Movement claimed that the New York Police Department was investigating Kaur’s death as a homicide case rather than suicide.
• Raghav Chadha, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), tweeted, "The tragic news of Mandeep Kaur’s suicide in NY due to domestic violence & abuse has left us all shattered. My prayers are with the aggrieved family and her children & I have sought time from Minister External Affairs to seek his timely intervention to ensure justice."

Suggested Reading: Justice For Mandeep: Sikh Woman's Suicide Due To Domestic Abuse Sparks Outrage