Ludhiana: The families of three men who reportedly took their own lives following marital disputes staged a two-hour protest outside the police commissioner's office on Monday here, demanding the arrest of the accused wives and in-laws.
The protesters, supported by a voluntary organisation advocating for male victims of domestic harassment, ended their demonstration after commissioner Swapan Sharma intervened, promising a quick investigative action. Gaurav Shahi, head of the voluntary organisation, said the protest highlighted a perceived systemic failure to address the suicides of Bikramjit Singh, Nikhil Kumar, and Maheshwar Singh.
While police filed first-information reports (FIR) in two of the deaths, they have made no arrests. In the third case, police had initially declined to file charges.
Bikramjit Singh was found dead on March 26. Police charged his wife, Kajal, and mother-in-law, Raj Rani, with abetment, but authorities say both of them remain at large. Maheshwar Singh disappeared in July 2025 and, later, his body was found in a canal. He posted a video to Facebook blaming his wife, Sheenam, and her parents for his distress. Despite an FIR, no suspects are in custody.
Nikhil Kumar, a 19-year-old, died by suicide recently. His family alleged police initially ignored their pleas for a criminal investigation. Following the protest, commissioner Sharma met with the grieving families to review the case files.
By Monday evening, Sadar police had registered a case of abetment to suicide against Nikhil's wife, and ordered detectives to expedite the arrests in the outstanding cases.
