Mother, Two Daughters from Katigorah Found Dead in Meghalaya; Family Alleges Domestic Abuse Murder

A heart-wrenching incident has come to light from Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, where a young mother and her two daughters were found dead on Sunday (September 14) under suspicious circumstances. The deceased woman, identified as Rippa Das (24), was originally from Katirail in Katigorah, Cachar. Her daughters, Arpita (5) and Panchami (6 months), were also found dead in a similar condition.

Rippa’s husband, Arpan Das of Baraithali, Katigorah, works at a cement company in Meghalaya and lived there with his family. As per reports, on Sunday morning, Arpan left for work, leaving his wife and children at home. When he returned in the afternoon, he allegedly found them dead inside their quarters and immediately informed his in-laws.

Rippa’s father, Ratan Das, however, has raised serious allegations. Speaking to the media, he claimed that his daughter was subjected to continuous torture ever since her marriage about 7–8 years ago. He said she was even harassed for giving birth to daughters and was physically assaulted by her husband on several occasions.

On Saturday night, Rippa reportedly called her father, telling him about the “extreme torture” she was facing.

“Her in-laws had been torturing her ever since the marriage. I would ask her to be a little more tolerant. On Saturday night, she called me to say that the torture by her husband had become extreme. I told her not to worry and that when she came here during Durga Puja, I would speak to her husband. But that day never came. On Sunday morning, she called me again, asking me to come and get her, but I told her that since it was raining and the roads in Meghalaya were in a deplorable condition, I would go and bring her home on Monday,” an emotional Ratan Das said.

He further alleged that his daughter was beaten regularly, and despite his attempts to console her and ask her to tolerate it, the situation worsened. “I doubt that he might have killed her and then killed both the daughters. But whether she committed suicide, I can not say for sure. On Sunday evening, I got a call from my son-in-law about their death. He would beat her daily, and I would call her two or three times daily, where she would talk about the torture, but today, when I called her so many times, there was no response from the other side. Her phone was switched off. So I called a neighbour and found that she was dead and found hanging in their quarter,” he added.

The grieving father also claimed that his daughter’s mother-in-law humiliated her for giving birth to girls. “She told my daughter that she would not accept a granddaughter, and even after the second child, they were upset that she couldn’t give birth to a son,” Ratan said.

“I doubt he killed her and the two children, then made it look like suicide,” the father alleged.

Following the news, Rippa’s relatives rushed to Meghalaya on Sunday night after filing a report at Katigorah Police Station.