They'll never change: Newly-wed teacher blames in-laws in video before death

A government school teacher in Dehradun allegedly died by suicide eight months after her marriage, leaving behind a video message for her mother in which she blamed her in-laws for months of alleged mental harassment, saying their "mindset will never change." Police have registered a case against her husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law following a complaint filed by her family.The victim, identified as Srishti Kandhari, who married Saurabh Raturi in November 2025, recorded the video shortly before her death, describing what she said was sustained harassment at her matrimonial home over the past several months."Sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry. I'm leaving. But everything has become so strange. I've been enduring this for the past six months, and I just can't take it anymore," a profusely crying Srishti said in the video.Addressing her mother, she added, "These people will never change their way of thinking. They keep taunting me all the time. Ever since the marriage, things have been like this." In her complaint, Srishti's mother, Seema Kandhari, alleged that her daughter had been subjected to continuous mental harassment after her marriage. The family claimed she was repeatedly taunted, labelled "inauspicious" and blamed for every misfortune that befell the household.According to the complaint, the harassment escalated after Srishti's father-in-law suffered a heart attack a few months after the wedding. Her family alleged that, acting on the advice of a priest, the in-laws began believing she had brought bad luck into the family and increasingly targeted her. They further claimed that after her father-in-law died three days before the incident, the mental harassment intensified. The complainant said the family was unable to reach Srishti on July 28 and 29. When an acquaintance visited her residence, they were informed that she had been taken to hospital after falling ill. However, by the time her relatives arrived in Dehradun from Srinagar, she had already died.The victim's family also alleged that her in-laws did not inform them of her death. They claimed they were later told that the family had been too occupied to contact them.Based on the complaint, Doiwala Police have registered a case against Saurabh Raturi, Parveena Devi and Charu under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 80(2) relating to dowry death, and have launched an investigation.Police said they are examining the video recorded by the victim, the post-mortem report, forensic evidence and other material collected during the investigation. They said further action will be taken based on the findings of the probe.Police have not commented on the authenticity of the video or the exact cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.- Ends(With inputs from Sagar Sharma in Dehradun)Published On: Jul 31, 2026 07:25 IST