The death of a 33-year-old woman in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal has triggered outrage across the country, with the case drawing attention not only because of allegations of dowry harassment and abuse, but also due to a series of controversial statements made by her mother-in-law, a retired judge, after the incident.The Bhopal Police announced a cash reward of ₹10,000 for any information leading to the husband's arrest. (Representational image)The woman, a former beauty pageant winner and MBA graduate from Noida, had married a Bhopal-based advocate in December 2025. On May 12, she was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area. Her family alleged she was subjected to mental torture, dowry harassment and abuse by her husband and in-laws.Police later registered an FIR against the husband and mother-in-law under charges related to dowry harassment and abetment to suicide. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe the case. The husband remains absconding, a lookout circular has been issued against him, and police have announced a ₹10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.What the investigation has found so farAccording to police, the woman died due to “antemortem hanging by ligature”, as mentioned in the postmortem report. However, multiple injuries on her body have raised questions from her family, who allege foul play and have sought a second postmortem examination.Bhopal Police commissioner Sanjay Kumar has publicly stated that the probe so far points to suicide and not murder. He also said no evidence of drug use was found in the postmortem report, contradicting claims later made by the mother-in-law.The investigation has also come under scrutiny over claims that the belt allegedly used in the hanging was not produced during the postmortem examination. CCTV footage from the residence is also being examined by investigators.Also read - ‘Psycho drug addict’ vs ‘harassment’ charge: Bhopal woman's death and the ugly blame game"Ladkiyaan jhool jaati hai…"One of the most criticised remarks came when the retired judge in a media interaction said: “Ladkiyaan jhool jaati hai, ladke nahi jhool paate, they are treated as criminals” (Girls end up hanging themselves, boys cannot; they are treated as criminals).The statement, made while discussing dowry death cases, triggered outrage online, with many accusing her of portraying men as victims while appearing to trivialise allegations made by the woman’s family.Claims about mental healthIn several interviews, the mother-in-law alleged that the woman had psychiatric issues and was undergoing treatment before her death.“She was a schizophrenic,” she claimed in one interview, while also describing her as a “troubled personality” who needed constant monitoring.She further alleged that the woman became emotionally unstable after learning about her pregnancy.According to the retired judge, the woman would say: “You can’t control me.” She also claimed she once found her “physically beating herself” after learning she was pregnant.Also read - 'Consumed marijuana during pregnancy': Mother-in-law’s explosive claims in Bhopal dowry death caseAllegations of self-harm and abortionThe mother-in-law alleged that the woman did not wish to continue her pregnancy and had taken steps to terminate it.“She wanted to reverse the abortion process later,” the retired judge reportedly claimed in one of the interviews.She also alleged that the woman physically harmed herself during emotional breakdowns. The deceased woman’s family has strongly denied these claims and maintained that she was facing severe mental harassment at her marital home.Marijuana and drug use claimsIn another controversial statement, the retired judge alleged that the woman consumed marijuana during pregnancy.“She terminated pregnancy after consuming a large quantity of marijuana,” she claimed, while also alleging that the woman had admitted to drug use.However, the Bhopal Police Commissioner later said no evidence of drug use had been found in the postmortem report or investigation so far.“Pushed into glamour world” remarksThe mother-in-law also accused the woman’s parents of pushing her into the glamour industry at a young age.“Her father pushed her into the glamour world,” she alleged, while also claiming the family depended financially on the woman and later “disowned” her.The family has rejected the accusations and accused the in-laws of attempting to malign her image after death.Remarks about agarbatti, puja, cooking and watering plantsAmong the statements that also triggered criticism were remarks about the woman’s daily behaviour and domestic habits inside the house.In interviews, the retired judge claimed the woman would refuse to participate in household rituals and said she “did not even light agarbatti during puja”.She also reportedly made comments about the woman’s cooking and alleged lack of interest in household responsibilities, claiming she did not properly participate in routine domestic activities.The retired judge further complained that the woman would “forget to water the plants”, remarks many on social media described as irrelevant and insensitive in the context of an ongoing dowry death investigation.Multiple users criticised the comments as attempts to judge or shame the deceased woman’s lifestyle, personality and domestic habits rather than address the allegations being investigated by police.Public statements during ongoing probe spark backlashWomen’s rights activists and legal commentators have criticised the public nature of the statements being made by the accused family while the investigation is still underway.Critics argue that publicly discussing unverified claims about the woman’s mental health, pregnancy, personal life and alleged drug use risks influencing public perception before the SIT completes its investigation.Several users on X also accused the family of “victim-blaming” and attempting to tarnish the deceased woman’s image after her death. Many described the remarks about cooking, puja, agarbatti and watering plants as “misogynistic”, “tone-deaf” and irrelevant to the investigation.Priyanka Chaturvedi, former Rajya Sabha MP, wrote in a post on X: "The mother in law, who herself is an accused, is repeatedly speaking to the media to smear her dead daughter in law, a deliberate attempt to mess up the case and yet the MP government and police are allowing her to speak on a case which is subjudice, she is an accused and her son is on the run. Shame on Madhya Pradesh government- till now the accused has called her a schizophrenic, a druggie and someone who spent nights out and parents who were using her to earn money. Just a reminder that Madhya Pradesh continues to be one of the states with the highest rates of reported crimes against women in India."Some users questioned why the woman’s domestic habits were being publicly scrutinised in a case involving allegations of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide, while others said the comments reflected the social pressures often placed on married women inside their marital homes.