Ahmedabad: A 27-year-old man, Rahul Parmar, died by suicide on Nov 18, 2024, after his wife reportedly pressured him for divorce, allegedly due to caste differences. The incident took place at a hotel in the Vastrapur area where Parmar committed suicide by hanging, and his body was found on Nov 20, 2024, stated a complaint filed with Vastrapur police.
Parmar, who was from the dalit community, fell in love with a woman from the other backward community, while they worked together at a hospital in Kutch, stated Parmar’s father, Dudha Parmar, a resident of Vankarwas in Bhalgam village of Dasada taluka in Surendranagar, in his FIR with Vastrapur police.
They married in 2020 through court marriage and lived in Sarkhej area of the city after living for a brief period in their native villages. Parmar took up a job as an admin manager at a private hospital, while his wife worked at a beauty salon, stated Dudha.
For the initial years, their marriage appeared stable, and they even frequently visited Parmar’s village together. However, the woman’s friends and family allegedly started pressuring her to end the marriage, he said in the FIR.
Over the last six months, the woman allegedly began demanding divorce, creating frequent fights between the couple. About 15 days before his death, the woman had left their home and moved into a PG (paying guest) accommodation.
On Nov 17, 2024, Parmar’s phone went unreachable. Worried, his family approached Sarkhej police and filed a missing person report. On Nov 20, Vastrapur police informed them that Parmar was found hanging in a hotel room at Vibrant Residency near Thaltej.
A suicide note recovered from the spot held his wife and her family responsible for driving him to take his life. Dudha filed a complaint against the victim’s wife for abetment to suicide.
Vastrapur police have launched an investigation into the inter-caste marriage dispute, and legal proceedings are underway to establish the role of the woman. Vastrapur police registered a case of abetment to suicide and abetment under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with charges of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the woman.