In Chhattisgarh, a 30-year-old man committed suicide on Saturday (7th December), after being fed up with the alleged harassment by his wife and in-laws to convert to Christianity. The victim’s dead body was found at his house in Potiadh village under the Arjuni police station precinct.
A social media post purportedly published by the deceased victim Linesh Sahu stated that his wife Karuna and his in-laws were harassing and pressuring him to undergo religious conversion to Christianity. The police learnt the reason behind Sahu’s suicide after checking his mobile and found that he had put up a WhatsApp status revealing his ordeal before ending his life.
“I am fed up with my wife. She harassed me a lot to change my religion. When I got to my in-law’s place, her mother and two sisters also harassed me to change my religion, saying they would later convince my mother and father (to change their religion),” Sahu wrote in his WhatsApp status.
A man named Linesh Sahu from Potiyadih village in Chhattisgarh died by suicide.
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) December 9, 2024
He posted on social media that his wife, Karuna, and his in-laws forced him to undergo religious conversion to Christianity.
Will the BJP govt in Chhattisgarh act against conversion missionaries or… pic.twitter.com/lpIFoqVfGr
The victim got married in September 2023. The police said that Sahu’s wife Karuna (27), her sister Kiran (31) and parents Gauri (48) and Rajkumar Sahu (54) have been arrested and have been booked on charges of abetment of suicide under Section 108 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). Meanwhile, efforts are on to trace Karuna’s younger sister Kanishka.
Speaking about the matter, ASP Manishankar Chandra said, “Initial investigations revealed that the victim was deeply troubled by his wife and in-laws’ alleged pressure for religious conversion. After posting his ordeal on social media, he took the extreme step.”
