A 29-year-old man is under custody for alleged ‘involuntary manslaughter’ of his 47-year-old wife in Bumthang. The alleged domestic violence incident that occurred at Chamkhar on October 3 led to her death after four days.
An informer alerted police about a domestic brawl at around 10:30 pm that night. Police said they were both drunk. The husband was detained while the wife was admitted to Wangduechholing General Hospital. A doctor at the hospital said, the victim had bluish discolouration on her eyes and upper back and swelling on the back of her head when she was brought to the hospital. She was kept under medical observation for two nights. Meanwhile, the man was released on surety after a night under detention when the wife insisted on having the husband as her sick attendant. Police and the doctor said the victim tried to downplay the incident.
However, doctors detected possible internal bleeding as her condition deteriorated. The hospital tried to airlift her to Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital on October 5 but bad weather prevailed the whole day according to the doctor. She was then referred to Thimphu the same day in an ambulance. Police then rearrested the man from Thimphu as the woman’s condition worsened. Two days later, she died at the hospital. The victim is survived by five children from her first marriage.
Meanwhile, police are pursuing the case and it will be forwarded to the district court soon.
Kipchu
