In Bengaluru, a homemaker, Vidya, passed away on Monday at Victoria Hospital, allegedly due to deliberate mercury poisoning by her husband, M Basavaraju. The couple had a four-year-old child. Vidya, in a pre-death statement from her hospital bed, accused her husband of deliberately harming her. According to police, she claimed that her husband, along with his father Mariswamachari, injected her with mercury, which led to a slow deterioration of her health over the past nine months.
“When I woke up, my leg had swollen, and I was struggling to walk. I visited the government hospital. That’s when a metallic substance was detected,” Vidya told authorities.
Mercury In Blood: Initial Symptoms and Hospitalization
Vidya filed a complaint with the Attibele police detailing the events leading to her illness. She said she fell unconscious on the night of February 26 and regained consciousness only the next evening. Soon after, she experienced severe pain in her right thigh, which she attributed to an injection.
She was first admitted to Attibele Government Hospital on March 7 and subsequently referred to Oxford Hospital. Medical tests reportedly revealed mercury in her blood. Surgeons at Oxford Hospital conducted procedures and sent samples for confirmation, which verified mercury poisoning.
Domestic Harassment, Police Case and FIR
On Sunday, as her condition worsened, Vidya made a formal statement to the police, which was converted into a First Information Report (FIR) under charges of “attempt to murder.” Authorities are now also investigating the case as a potential dowry-related death, in light of prior allegations of domestic harassment.
According to Vidya’s dying declaration, she faced prolonged harassment and abuse from her husband and father-in-law. She alleged that her husband frequently called her “mad,” locked her inside their home, refused to let her visit relatives, and subjected her to repeated humiliation and neglect.
Final Days of Vidya
Vidya underwent over a month of treatment before being shifted to Victoria Hospital. Doctors reported that the mercury had spread throughout her body, damaging multiple organs, including her kidneys. She was placed on dialysis but remained critical. After battling the effects of the poisoning for nine months, Vidya succumbed to her condition in November.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death and the allegations against her husband and father-in-law.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
