Twisha Sharma’s husband, Samarth Singh, and his mother, Giribala Singh, a retired judge, have been accused of murder and dowry harassment. On the question of dowry, Navnidhi Sharma described indirect pressures “common” in such cases.
Navnidhi Sharma has spent days protesting outside the Chief Minister’s residence in Madhya Pradesh, demanding justice for his daughter Twisha Sharma and a second post-mortem on her body. Twisha’s husband, Samarth Singh, a lawyer in Bhopal, remains on the run after his bail was denied.
Navnidhi Sharma spoke to NDTV about the events leading to his 33-year-old daughter’s death.
“They met on a dating app. We came to know about this relationship about a year before marriage. And later we all agreed and gave approval to this relationship,” he told NDTV.
Twisha’s husband, Samarth, and his mother, Giribala Singh, a retired judge, have been accused of murder and dowry harassment. On the question of dowry, Navnidhi Sharma described indirect pressures “common” in such cases.
“Look, in today’s time, dowry is such a word that people demand in various ways without using it. They create a situation in which money is taken out of your pocket. No one says that give me dowry,” he said.
Navnidhi Sharma said demands arose around standards and expenses. After the marriage, taunts followed.
“After Twisha lost her job, their taunts started: ‘How will we feed you?’ All these things came out,” he said. The first clear sign of trouble surfaced during the honeymoon.
“It’s right in the beginning, because in the beginning, a man does not attack so suddenly. His attitude was seen in the beginning as a criminal mindset — a man who can push his wife by getting angry for some reason on her honeymoon at the airport. Twisha then asked her brother, ‘Have I taken a wrong decision?’
“Her brother said no, sometimes a man gets a little impulsive in something, so don’t take it seriously, ignore that. We should not have ignored,” Navnidhi Sharma told NDTV. “Daughters ignore a lot of things to save their marriage.”
Navnidhi Sharma described Twisha’s husband as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.
“If you look at their history, even their first daughter-in-law had also divorced due to harassment,” he said. “A lot of assurances were given, which later did not materialise.”
Twisha was discovered hanging at her husband’s house in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on May 12.
Messages between Twisha and her mother detailed her growing distress. On April 30 she wrote: “Kyu bheja mujhe yaha. Ye yaha baat hi nahi kar raha hai.” (Why did you send me to Bhopal? He isn’t talking to me.) Bhopal bula kar phir se sab natak. (He called me to Bhopal only to stage the same old drama all over again.) Mera jeevan narak ho gaya hai mummy.” (My life has become a living hell, Mom.)
On May 7 she pleaded: “Maa aap mujhe yaha se lene aajao kal please.” (Please come and pick me up from here tomorrow.)
She said it seemed her husband no longer needed her and had been “tolerating” her for a year. She asked her mother to come alone.
Twisha also wrote about feeling lonely and blamed her “bad deeds” for her situation. She alleged her husband questioned the paternity of her child and forced an abortion. In messages sent on May 9 she said: “Mujhe pooch raha hai vo kiska bacha tha, aur main ignore karu??? … Ye apne ghatiya pane ki har limit cross kar ke baitha hai. Kaise reh lu iske saath.” (He is asking me whose child it was and you expect me to just ignore it? … He has crossed every limit. How am I supposed to live with him?)
She told her mother: “Mummy yaha par mai bas pagal ho jaungi. Mujhse nahi ho pa raha ab ye sab.” (Mom, I’m going to go crazy here. I just can’t take this anymore.)
