Dubai: A 24-year-old postal employee from Gujarat died by suicide in Maharashtra after recording a 13-minute video in which he accused his estranged wife and her family of subjecting him to mental, financial and social pressure, NDTV reported.
Vishwrajsinh Mayursinh Gohil, a resident of Bhavnagar, died after jumping from the 1,700-foot-high Konkankada cliff last week, according to the report.
The incident came amid an ongoing marital dispute and legal proceedings following a domestic violence complaint filed by his wife.
Marriage breaks down within eight months
Gohil married on February 8 this year, but the relationship deteriorated within months.
His wife filed a domestic violence complaint on September 12, and Gohil appeared in court on October 9 in connection with the case.
In the video recorded before his death, he spoke about the breakdown of his marriage and the emotional toll of the dispute.
He said marriage was traditionally regarded as a lifelong commitment but argued that differences in temperament, expectations and habits could lead to irreconcilable conflicts.
Allegations against wife and family
In his final video, Gohil challenged his wife's family to substantiate the allegations of physical abuse against him, his mother and his 16-year-old brother. “Let them prove that I, my brother or my mother brutally beat her,” he said, according to The Times of India. He maintained that ordinary marital disagreements had been portrayed as serious domestic violence.
Gohil accused his wife and her relatives of making false allegations of domestic violence against him, his mother and his younger brother.
He denied that any assault had taken place and questioned the circumstances under which the police complaint was registered.
He also alleged that his wife’s parents had forcibly taken her away from their matrimonial home and that disputes had arisen over jewellery and other belongings.
In the video, Gohil said he felt overwhelmed by the legal proceedings and the pressure they had placed on his family.
He expressed particular concern for his parents and his 16-year-old brother, who he said had also been named in the domestic violence complaint.
The allegations made by Gohil against his wife and her family have not been independently verified.
Questions domestic violence law
Gohil also criticised what he described as the misuse of laws intended to protect women from domestic abuse.
He claimed that false complaints could place severe emotional and financial pressure on accused men and their families.
He appealed to authorities to examine such cases carefully and called for legal reforms to protect people against allegedly fabricated accusations.
Gohil also appealed to legal authorities to review the handling of marital disputes and protect families from allegedly false complaints. “I beg you. Give justice to me and my family,” he said in the video, according to The Times of India. His allegations and claims about the misuse of domestic violence laws have not been independently verified.
Police begin investigation
Police have registered a case of accidental death and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Gohil’s death.
Investigators are expected to examine the video and the allegations made in it as part of their inquiry.
The domestic violence allegations against Gohil and his family, as well as the counter-allegations he made before his death, remain matters requiring investigation.