Indian Mother Of Two Hangs Herself In New York To Escape Abusive Husband, Beaten Daily For Not Bearing Son

A 30-year-old Indian-origin woman, living in New York since 2018, killed herself after recording a video, citing years of abuse by her husband "for giving birth only to daughters" and for bringing inadequate dowry.

Mandeep Kaur ended her life by hanging at their New York home on Aug. 4, shortly after sending a distressing video to her father in India saying she "couldn't take the daily beatings (at the hands of her husband) anymore".

In the video, the mother of two young girls, aged four and six, narrated the excruciatingly painful details of the torture she faced at the hands of her husband, Ranjotveer Singh Sandhu, for close to eight years. The family is reportedly from Bijnor in India’s Uttar Pradesh.

"I am really very sad. It has been eight years. I have tried my best. I was beaten up every day. I have been suffering him and his beatings, thinking that he will improve someday. But no, he beat me up for eight years. Had extra-marital affairs. We lived there (in India) for the first two and a half years and it was hell," Mandeep said sobbing.

"Then we came here. He would get drunk and beat me up. Sometimes he would beat me even without being drunk. He would beat, me and on top of that, be with other women. I tried to put up with it for my children," she added.

"My father registered a police case. Then he started begging, saying, 'save me, save me.' I saved him. I tried to set everything right. But my in-laws didn't do anything to help me. God will show everyone. I won't say anything. God will punish everyone. You all ganged up and left me helpless. I have to leave my kids and go now," Mandeep said in the video.

Another graphic video showed shocking glimpses of the years-long abuse.

The video sparked massive outcries over social media about stigmas in the community.

While the New York Police Department is investigating the case as a homicide rather than a case of suicide, the Uttar Pradesh Police has registered a case of abetment to suicide and domestic violence against Kaur’s husband and in-laws.

According to reports, Mandeep and Sandhu got married in 2015, and the alleged torture began three years later when she moved to the US where her husband worked as a trucker.

"My sister was married in February 2015. Soon, they went to New York and he started torturing her. He wanted a son and wanted Rs 50 lakh in dowry," said Mandeep’s sister, Kuldeep Kaur.

The Uttar Pradesh police registered a case based on a complaint filed by Mandeep’s father, Jaspal Singh, who accused Sandu’s father Mukhtar Singh, his mother Kuldeep Raj Kaur, and brother Jasveer Singh of the suicide.

"We intervened once, and even went to the police in New York with a video of him beating her," the father said, "But she told us to step back and reconciled with him. She said she was worried about the future of her daughters."

Mandeep’s daughters are currently in Richmond Hill, New York, in the custody of their father.

"We want our granddaughters to be safe now. They're still with their father," Jaspal added.

Reports said that the Indian consulate in New York has promised to help the devastated family to bring back her remains to India.

"Our recent survey showed that 70 percent of all respondents had suffered a form of domestic abuse. 35 percent of respondents had experienced sexual abuse and exploitation as a child. The Sikh community is in crisis, and the number of deaths of women due to domestic abuse is rising. There is collective ownership on every single one of us to challenge and support victims of abuse," the Kaur Movement, an organization that works for sexual and domestic abuse victims, focusing on the Sikh community, said, in a statement.

"If you are experiencing abuse or are unsure about what you are feeling, reach out for confidential, professional advise on helpline 03330901220 or email us at info@sikhwomensaid.org," the organization added.