Murder or suicide Days after man's death video of his daughters beating him surfaces

Morena (MP), Mar 11 (PTI) Days after a 53-year-old electrician in Madhya Pradesh's Morena purportedly hanged himself, a video showing his daughters beating him with sticks and his wife holding him down has gone viral, leaving police intrigued amid allegations of murder and outrage.
    Police have sent Harendra Maurya's body for autopsy and the examination would disclose if he died by suicide or was murdered.
    According to police, Maurya was the father of three daughters and a son. His neighbours and relatives claimed that he often quarrelled with his wife and other members of the family.
    On March 1, he married off his two daughters. It is learnt that soon after the marriage, his wife asked for separation and told him that she would go to her father's house.
    Police were informed that Maurya was upset over a family dispute. He locked himself in a room of his house on March 8. When he didn't come out, his family members started looking for him, only to find him hanging from a rope.
    Police said Maurya's neighbours alleged that he committed suicide due to frequent quarrels in the house. At the same time, Maurya's in-laws accused his father and brother of murdering him.
    Amid these claims, police registered a case and launched an investigation.
    Meanwhile, a chilling video, believed to be shot on February 1, surfaced on social media. The clip shows Maurya's wife holding his legs while his two daughters are beating him with sticks.
    He is seen screaming in pain. At one point, his younger son tries to stop his sister, but she threatens to beat him too. When Maurya tries to break free, his wife grabs him again and the assault goes on.
    The video has created an outrage on social media with users demanding justice for the man, a police official said.
    City Superintendent of Police Deepali Chandoriya said Maurya's body has been sent to Gwalior Medical College for postmortem and further action will be taken based on the report.
    "We have received information that a man has committed suicide. Preliminary investigations point to a family dispute. We have sent the body for autopsy.
    "We will investigate all the facts that have come to light. Postmortem report will confirm the cause of the death," she said, adding that the police have taken cognisance of the clip.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)