Racial Discrimination: Suicide When Love Marriage Fails

JANAKPUR: AUGUST 12 – The eldest daughter Aarati called Pramod Paswan of Saptari Surunga Municipality-7 Pokhariya on August 7 and asked him to come home soon. The Paswan couple hurried home. On reaching home, the Paswan couple fainted when they saw their youngest daughter hanging in the kitchen.

Jyoti Paswan, 20, of Pokhariya in Surunga Municipality-7 of Saptari is believed to have committed suicide after her love marriage failed.

Jyoti fell in love with her neighbour Krishna Mishra, 25. The love of Jyoti, the daughter of Dusadha, who was declared a Dalit by the society, and Krishna, the so-called upper caste Brahmin community, the love was deepening in them.

Although the two had decided to live together, no one in the family knew. Jyoti and Krishna also discussed that their love would not be successful due to the existing caste discrimination in society. When the couple was not accepted by society, they had prepared an alternative, to run away and get married.

Krishna had planned to run away with Jyoti and get married as his family did not accept them under any circumstances. Accordingly, Krishna expressed his commitment to Jyoti’s family and his community with information – “Take Jyoti and marry her.” Accordingly, Jyoti and Krishna both ran away from home on the night of February 22.

They lived well together for four months after fleeing. One day after four months, Krishna left Jyoti and ran away on his own. Jyoti became tense as she could not have any contact with Krishna. Her family members say she chooses to commit suicide as her stress increased.

After four months, Krishna left Jyoti at the hotel and ran away

After Krishna and Jyoti ran away, they stayed in an unknown place for three months. Krishna used to make public through his Facebook the photo of Jyoti wearing vermilion and having it with him from time to time. But he did not tell anyone where he lived. Shortly after fleeing, Jyoti told her family that she got married in a temple in Janakpur.

Jyoti, who stopped calling her mother shortly after her escape, called her mother Inardevi Paswan on June 16, almost four months after she ran away from home.

Jyoti, who was staying at Pushpanjali Lodge in Siraha Lahan, informed her mother on the phone that Krishna had left her in the lodge and fled. Jyoti informed her mother that it had been two days since Krishna had left her and had taken her mobile phone with her.

Father Pramod, who is in trouble with his daughter, informed the village society. They reached Lahan Area Police Office on June 17 along with the community leaders. From there, along with the police, they reached the abandoned lodge and took Jyoti home.

Jyoti, who has been living in her own house with her parents for about two months, was tense as she had no contact with Krishna. Father Pramod said, “Krishna has never been in contact since his disappearance.” His daughter Jyoti had been depressed for a few days because of Krishna’s betrayal. ‘

After Jyoti got in trouble and got in touch with the family, Krishna kept Jyoti in Mirchaiya, she said.

Krishna had shouted when it came to Jyoti’s marriage to others

Krishna got the information that Jyoti was getting married elsewhere in Falgun (February). After receiving information that Krishna had come to ask for his hand, his father Pramod said that Krishna had been drinking alcohol at night on 20 February.

Krishna came to Paswan’s house and shouted that he was married to Jyoti. When her parents asked Jyoti, she also said that she went to the temple in Janakpur and got married. “We also decided to get married for the happiness of our daughter,” said Paswan.

After Krishna shouted that he was married to Jyoti, a panchayat was formed in the village under the leadership of the ward chairman. After marrying a Dalit girl in the presence of ward chairman Shiv Narayan Chaudhary, his family had filed a case with Krishna saying that he would not get any property rights.

Krishna is accused of being run away by his family

Jyoti’s family alleges that her family and neighbours were also involved in Krishna’s escape. As Jyoti is a lower caste girl, Krishna was advised by her father Akhilesh Mishra and her family to flee, Pramod claimed.

After the incident, Dalit leaders including Jyoti’s family have demanded action against the accused Krishna and his family. Dalit leaders have concluded that Jyoti committed suicide due to stress after being trapped in a love trap and sexually abused for four months.