The father of homemaker Rashika Jain, who is suspected to have died from a fall from the terrace of her in-laws’ Alipore home, on Thursday said his daughter had returned home in January as she was unable to bear the torture at her in-laws’ place but he had forced her to return within a week.

If the allegations are correct, this could be a lesson to all parents who force their daughters to “adjust” with the in-laws despite their resistance, feel several women activists in the city.

“Rashika had come back home on 5 January pleading us not to send her back to her husband’s home. But we did not listen to her. The next day, I met her in-laws and appraised her father-in-law Mr Naresh Agarwal about the situation. He assured me that he would reduce his workload at office and spend more time with my daughter. He assured me that my daughter would be taken care of. We sent back Rashika to her husband’s home on 13 January,” Mahendra Jain told a news conference at their Alipore residence.

“I wish we had not forced her to go,” Jain lamented.

Hundreds of cases of torture against women are reported every day across Bengal, state Women’s Commission chairperson Leena Ganguly said. “In most of the cases women are discouraged to return to their parents and asked to adjust with their in-laws,” she said.

“There are a lot of cases where parents realise their mistake only after it is too late. We try to spread awareness but such incidents keep on happening,” Ganguly said. The state women’s commission has registered a suo motu case against Rashika’s in-laws, she said.

Sunanda Mukherjee, a women’s rights activist and former member of the state women’s commission, said: “In most cases the girl’s parents either cite the amount of money they have spent on the marriage or their social status to force their daughter return to her husband without realising how much they are hurting her,” Mukherjee said.

Rashika’s in-laws refuted the charges brought by her family and said she was “happily settled” with her husband.

“Since November end till 11 February they (Rashika and her husband Kushal) travelled to different destinations like Maldives, Shimla, Udaipur, Bangalore, Mumbai, Puri and Jaipur. After coming back from her vacations Rashika was very happy and on her desire we hosted regular dinner parties till February 14 in which Jain family and their relatives participated wholeheartedly,” Rashika’s father-in-law Naresh Agarwal told Metro.

“It is time to repent our loss. Rashika was not only our daughter-in-law, she was also our daughter. So it is really a tough time for us. We are shattered by this mishap and what is happening afterwards... We have complete faith in the process of law. We condemn the speculations against our family. We are not indulging in any blame game and mudslinging.”

Rashika’s parents alleged that one of Rashika’s mobile phones from where she had sent her last text message to her father, was missing.

“Why are they hiding the phone,” Jain said.

Police on Thursday examined all the staff, drivers and help engaged at the Agarwal residence. A team from the detective department visited the home and collected a few gadgets, including a mobile phone.

“We are yet to ascertain if it is the same phone of which the victim’s father is talking about,” a police officer said.