Woman dies by suicide amid alleged social boycott, five booked in Yadgir
Yadgir (Karnataka) (PTI): A 46-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide after facing sustained social boycott and harassment by members of her community, police said on Thursday.
An FIR has been registered in Yadgir district based on the complaint lodged by Yellappa Suryavamshi (50).
Suryavamshi alleged that the victim Kamalamma (46), a resident of Girinagar area in Yadgir, allegedly jumped into the Bhima river near Joladadagi village between the evening of March 14 and the morning of March 15, following alleged mental harassment linked to a social boycott imposed on her family.
Suryavamshi alleged that their family had been ostracised by members of their community over an unverified accusation involving their son.
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“A village panchayat held on September 8, 2025, had directed the family not to interact with a relative and imposed a 10-year social boycott, asking them to vacate the village,” Suryavamshi said in his complaint.
Following the decision, the family had shifted to a rented house in Yadgir town.
However, earlier this month, when the woman returned to their native locality, a group of individuals allegedly confronted her and reiterated the boycott, the FIR said.
“Despite the earlier boycott, she was again prevented from staying in the village and was subjected to continued mental harassment,” the complainant said.
The complainant further alleged that even relatives who offered shelter to the woman were threatened with similar social ostracism.
“Those who gave her refuge were warned of facing a fresh boycott by convening another panchayat,” Suryavamshi alleged.
Unable to bear the alleged humiliation and pressure, the woman is said to have taken the extreme step, police said.
Her body was recovered from the river on March 15 and shifted to the district government hospital mortuary in Yadgir, police said.
Based on the complaint, a case has been registered against five individuals under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
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Canada court sentences killer of Ghaziabad student Kartik Vasudev to life imprisonment
Toronto/Ghaziabad (PTI): A court in Toronto has sentenced a man to life imprisonment after rejecting his plea of not being criminally responsible due to a mental disorder in the killing of Indian student Kartik Vasudev, his family said on Tuesday.
The Superior Court of Toronto, presided over by Justice Jane Kelly, on Monday found Richard Edwin guilty on two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of two strangers on April 7 and April 9, 2022, according to the Global News Toronto.
While Edwin admitted to shooting the 21-year-old Vasudev, a resident of Ghaziabad and a student of Seneca College, his defence argued that he should be declared not criminally responsible (NCR) as he was suffering from a mental disorder and could not distinguish right from wrong.
The court acknowledged that Edwin was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the incident but rejected the NCR plea and awarded him life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The judgment, published in the Global News Toronto and shared with PTI by the victim's father, detailed the sequence of events leading to the killing. It stated that Vasudev was walking past Sherbourne station towards the Bloor Street East staircase when Edwin rushed past him, turned back and fired multiple shots at his back.
Speaking to PTI from Toronto, the victim's father Jitesh Vasudev said he and his wife had remained in Canada to attend the final hearing.
"After a legal battle of four years, we have finally received justice," he said.
Vasudev had moved to Toronto in January 2022 to pursue management studies but was killed within months. His body was later repatriated to Ghaziabad and cremated on the banks of the Hindan river, where his younger brother performed the last rites.
Earlier, speaking to PTI, Jitesh Vasudev had expressed concern over the lack of official assistance during the transportation of the body from the Indira Gandhi International Airport and the absence of district officials at the time of cremation.
The family resides in Rajendra Nagar in the Trans-Hindan area, and Vasudev was an alumnus of DAV School in the locality.
