New Delhi:
A 24-year-old man from Gujarat died by suicide after jumping from the 1,700-foot Konkankada cliff in Maharashtra last week, allegedly due to ongoing distress over a marital dispute.
Vishwrajsinh Mayursinh Gohil, a resident of Gujarat's Bhavnagar who worked as a postal employee, recorded a 13-minute-long video before jumping to his death - in which he blamed his estranged wife and her family.
Gohil and his wife married on February 8 this year, but it ended just eight months later. His wife had filed a complaint of domestic violence on September 12, for which he had appeared in court on October 9.
In the video, he expressed his anguish over the marital conflict and ongoing legal proceedings.
"Today I'm going to die by suicide by jumping into a ditch. You must be wondering what happened? When you have nothing left in life, no hope...And when this arises from a good thing or relationship, it shatters your soul...We say that marriage is a sacred relationship, meant to last for lifetimes. But in today's modern age, when two people's thoughts, temperaments, and habits don't match and there are disputes or conflicts, people get divorced," he said in the video.
He also levelled several allegations against his wife and her family, saying that daily disagreements were termed as 'domestic violence' by her and her family.
"I had no idea then that such a storm was about to unfold. No such incident occurred in my home, yet the case alleges that I, my mother, and my brother assaulted and beat my wife. This is completely false and fabricated. The police don't even ask for any evidence or medical reports when registering an FIR," he said.
Gohil claimed that he was being "forced to die" due to "mental, financial, and social pressure".
According to Gohil, his wife's parents had forcibly dragged her away from his home.
"They claim that their gold is with us. The truth, when her parents were forcibly dragging her away, she herself said she didn't want to go. The people in our society are witnesses to this. She left wearing our gold, but when we ask for our things back, there's no hearing or pressure on them. All the pressure is put solely on the boy's family," he said.
"My father-in-law used to tell me that he is like my father. Does any father rob his child, harm his mental state, and file false cases against him? A father forgives and gives him a chance. Today, as I die, what will happen to my parents and my 16-year-old younger brother, who has also been charged with domestic violence?" he questioned.
Gohil, in his last video, questioned the domestic violence law.
"Do you know that according to statistics, 90 to 92 per cent of cases involving Section 498A (domestic violence) are false and fabricated? It is misused based on mere verbal allegations without any evidence or basis. When this weapon falls into the hands of the girl and her family, it is blatantly misused. Pre-litigation and settlement efforts are made, but they don't yield full results," he said, adding that today's youth and Gen Z have become "fearful of marriage" because the "law seems completely one-sided and biased".
"The administrative and legal systems should examine the plight of men when such false cases are filed. I appeal to all officials and the people of Bhavnagar to change and reform the law so that the lives of innocent young people are not ruined by false 498A cases. I challenge them to prove their allegations. I and my family should get justice," he added.
The police have filed a case of accidental death and have begun an investigation.
(With inputs from Nitin Gohel)