Neighbours support kabaddi champ, blame Lalita for tragedy

NEW DELHI: National kabaddi player Rohit Kumar’s house in northwest Delhi’s Nizampur village has been locked since Tuesday morning when the news broke about his wife’s suicide.

The narrow street that leads to the famous Chhatri temple here has suddenly become busy. Groups of men and women, some neighbours, are busy discussing the life of Lalita, ‘the modern daughter-in-law.’

Twenty eight -year-old Lalita Dabas, who married Rohit in March, hanged herself from a ceiling fan at her parents’ home in west Delhi’s Nangloi on Monday night, alleging dowry harassment in a suicide note and a two-and-half-hour long voice messages. DCP(west) Vijay Kumar said the police are searching for Rohit and his family. Kumar said Rohit’s cellphone is also switched off.

In this village located on the outskirts of theDelhi-Haryana border, around 40 kilometres from India Gate, most villagers support Rohit and blame Lalita for her death. Seema Chhillar, 38, a neighbour, recalls that Lalita had refused to adjust in the family after marriage. This strained her relations with Rohit and her in-laws. She would not cook and did not follow the purdah system in front of the elders, she said.

Others , too, blame her and support their local hero, who played for Bengaluru Bulls in the recently concluded Pro Kabaddi League.

Satnarayan Chhillar, who lives nearby said the allegations against Rohit are false. “Rohit is a good man. He made us proud by becoming a great kabaddi player. He made a mistake when he married Lalita. She was modern and did as she liked,” he said.

Neighbours said that around two months ago, Lalita had slashed her wrist after a fight with Rohit and her in-laws. Sunita Dabas, Lalita’s aunt, also confirmed it. Sunita alleged that Lalita cut her wrist because she was being tortured by Rohit.

“Lalita was tortured so much that she had cut her wrist in frustration. This is also true that she was not following the purdah system. But Lalita had tried to adjust in the family. This was her second marriage. She was trying her best to mingle with everyone, like any newly wedded bride would do,” said Sunita.

Rohit’s kabaddi mates refuse to believe that Rohit had harassed Lalita as alleged in her suicide note and voice message.

“I have known Rohit since childhood. Every village kid has grown up watching him practise hard at Jangli Ram Pehelwan stadium in the village. I had even gone to his wedding in March. Rohit was very happy with Lalita,” said Pankaj Chhillar, a Kabaddi player and Rohit’s friend.