Chargesheet filed against 11, including husband, 4 in-laws, in Vaishnavi Hagawane dowry death case

Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad police on Monday filed a chargesheet against expelled NCP functionary Rajendra Hagawane , his wife, two sons and a daughter and six others in connection with the alleged dowry death of his daughter-in-law Vaishnavi (24) in their home at Bhukum on May 16.

Senior police officials were, however, tightlipped about the conclusion as to whether Vaishnavi's death was a case of suicide or homicide. Pimpri Chinchwad police commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey could not be contacted as he is travelling abroad, while joint commissioner of police Shashikant Mahawarkar said, "I have no comments to offer regarding this case."

Deputy commissioner of police Vishal Gaikwad confirmed, "We filed the chargesheet before a magisterial court today." He preferred not to get into the details of the same.

Vaishnavi was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her marital home at Bhukum on May 16. Postmortem report confirmed injury marks on the body, giving way to speculation as to whether Vaishnavi died by suicide or was murdered.

The case created a major furore across the state due to allegations that Vaishnavi was being subjected to dowry harassment and domestic violence.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on May 22 said that the police investigation will determine whether Vaishnavi's death was a case of suicide or homicide.

Based on her father Anil Kaspate's complaint, Bavdhan police on May 17 arrested Vaishnavi's husband, Shashank, mother-in-law, Lata, and sister-in-law Karishma Hagawane on charges under sections 80 (dowry death), 108 (abetment of suicide), 352 (intentional insult), 351(criminal intimidation), 3 (5) (common intention) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Later, the police arrested her father-in-law Rajendra and brother-in-law Sushil on May 23 after they were on the run, hiding at different locations up to Kognoli in neighbouring Karnataka and at farmhouses of their acquaintances.

Police also arrested Hagawanes' business associate Nilesh Chavan, who kept Vaishnavi's minor son in his custody for two days and allegedly threatened her father with a gun when he had gone to take custody of the child, besides arresting five others, who harboured Rajendra and Sushil, while the two were on the run. A city court later granted bail to these five accused while the remaining six are in jail under judicial custody.

Senior inspector Anil Vibhute of Bavdhan police said, "In the 1,670-page chargesheet filed on the 58th day of the crime, we have collected sufficient evidence relating to the charges invoked against the accused."