• Source:JND

Manika Jagdish Pahwa, wife of businessman Puneet Khurana posted a cryptic message on her Instagram handle less than a week before her spouse died by suicide at his residence in northwest Delhi’s Model Town on Tuesday. Referring to her “abusers" as “insecure cowards", the woman said that virtues like kindness and love are more important than money. She goes on to talk about the “toxicity and narcissistic" abuse she suffered. A Puneet Khurana (40) allegedly died by suicide amid an ongoing business and divorce dispute with his wife. The couple co-owned the For God's Cake bakery, as well as another eatery called Woodbox Cafe, which closed a while ago.

Several media houses claimed to have accessed her post on her Instagram account, which is now deleted.

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“Well feminism suits me, as idealistic values are my core & feminism means giving & getting mere respect. To one another. No slave treatment, and no stopping some girl to speak her mind," Manika Pahwa reportedly wrote on Instagram six days before Khurana died.

“Even a house help, guard, rikshawala, a tiny kid deserves respectful treatment. Once a coward fought with me that ‘respect has to be earned’. Ufff! What disgrace na? I disagree, respect has to be given to each and everyone. If not then you lost the respect baby. Phew! Maybe that’s why in India, we address people with ‘aap’, ‘bhaiya’, ‘didi’ to even strangers, isn’t it?" NDTV and Republic quoted Manika Jagdish Pahwa’s Instagram post.

“I just wish these abusers get to see the mirror someday and understand..that kindness, love, understanding, trust,wisdom, affection & care all are true virtues & hold much more importance than money,property & gold. God bless the unkind ones. 🙂 I know nobody can change, but let’s just pray, nobody else should suffer because of some bunch of insecure cowards. My tribe, pray with me..okay? 🙂 love you all… I am free, and the beautiful ruins are part of me," she was quoted.

Manika Pahwa ‘Hacked’ Husband’s Account, Threatened To ‘Jail Parents’

Leena Khattar, Khurana’s sister, claimed that the businessman’s account was hacked by his wife. “There is a video recording of around 59 minutes, in which Puneet has mentioned details of harassment he faced," she said.

A report by Republic Media Network quoted Leena Khattar as saying, “His wife hacked his Instagram account and behaved badly, which led my brother to call her at 3 in the morning. When he called her, she responded by asking what do you want." The report further quoted Khattar and stated despite the businessman speaking to Pahwa “kindly", she “continued to abuse him".

“She threatened to have his parents jailed and then told him, ‘you always say you’ll die, but you never do. If you’re so bold, then die’. She pushed my brother to such an extreme level with her words," Khattar was quoted.

The businessman’s brother-in-law, Sumit, claimed that Khurana recorded a 59-minute video before taking his life, detailing the alleged harassment. The video has been circulating on social media.

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A report in Times of India quoted an officer as saying that in the purported audio clip of a conversation between the couple, the man claims that his account was hacked, but the woman denies this.

“She then asserts that she remains his business partner and demands that he settles the dues. The conversation also touches on other business-related disagreements," the officer was quoted.

The report further stated that the woman alleged her husband repeatedly disgraced her and her family, but when confronted, he asked her to specify what she wanted.

The incident has been drawing parallels to Bengaluru engineer Atul Subhash’s suicide with men’s rights activists coming forward. A wider debate has begun around misuse of laws by women.

Atul Subhash Case

The case drew parallels to the recent Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash's suicide case. Subhash, who was working with an automobile company in Bengaluru, allegedly committed suicide as a demand of Rs 3 crore was made for a divorce settlement. He ended his life at his apartment in the early hours of December 9, leaving behind a 90-minute video and a 40-page death note, explaining how harassment by his wife Nikita Singhania and her family forced him to take the extreme step.

"The more I work hard and become better at my work, the more l and my family will be harassed and extorted and the whole legal system will encourage and help my harassers... Now, with me gone, there won't be any money and there won't be any reason to harass my old parents and my brother. I may have destroyed my body but it has saved everything I believe in," he wrote.

Three accused in Atul Subhash's suicide case -- his wife, her mother and brother -- who were arrested by Bengaluru Police, were sent to 14-day judicial custody.

The police registered an FIR against the accused persons under Sections 108, 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) on December 9. Bikas Kumar had lodged a police complaint alleging abetment to suicide with the Marathahalli police in Bengaluru.

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