A 19-year-old domestic help was found dead at her employer’s residence in Chandigarh. Police said on Sunday that the case is being investigated as a suspected suicide.
Family alleges foul play in domestic help death
The victim’s family, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, told reporters that she started working at the house only a week ago and was staying in one of the rooms there. She was allegedly found hanging from the ceiling on Saturday, following which her employer informed the police.
According to the original story, her brother Amit demanded a thorough inquiry into her death, saying he did not believe she could have taken the extreme step. He claimed that the body had been shifted to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital in Sector 16 before the family reached the house.
Police investigation into the incident
“According to the investigation, the girl died by suicide,” said the SHO of Sector 3 police station, as per the original story. However, the family’s allegations of foul play have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding her death.
Our Take: A case that demands transparency
This is a tragic incident that highlights the vulnerability of domestic workers, especially young women who move to cities for work. The family’s doubts are understandable — when a young person dies under suspicious circumstances just a week after starting a job, a thorough and transparent investigation is the least that is owed to them. In our view, the police must go beyond the initial suicide theory and examine all evidence carefully, including the family’s claims about the body being moved. Every death in such a setting deserves scrutiny, not assumptions.
