Following the tragic suicide of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash, who reportedly took his life due to harassment over alimony by his estranged wife, a similar case has emerged from Delhi. Puneet Khurana, a 40-year-old businessman, owner of the popular Woodbox Cafe in Delhi, allegedly died by suicide on December 31 while going through divorce proceedings. It is alleged that he had been facing harassment and mental distress from his wife. Adding to the controversy, his wife's final Instagram posts have surfaced before she deleted her account entirely.
In the days before Puneet Khurana's tragic death, his wife, Manika Pahwa, posted several Instagram updates hinting at troubles in their marriage as they were in the midst of a divorce.?
One of her posts highlighted her views on feminism, which she described as embracing idealistic values: "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."
She went on to share her belief in universal respect: "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?," as?reported by Republic Media Network and NDTV.
In another post, Pahwa expressed her thoughts on virtues over material wealth, saying: "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."
Puneet Khurana, who co-owned the Woodbox Cafe in Delhi with his wife Manika Jagdish Pahwa, tragically took his own life in the Model Town area of the capital on Tuesday evening.?
The couple, married in 2016, also ran the For God's Cake bakery and had another venture, the Woodbox Cafe, which had closed down recently.
Khurana's family revealed that he was in the middle of a divorce with his wife and had a dispute over the ownership of the cafe.?
Reports indicate that Khurana had a phone conversation with his wife shortly before his death, during which they discussed their bakery business.?
Pahwa allegedly told him that he could not remove her as a business partner, even as their divorce proceedings continued.?
His family stated that Khurana died by suicide shortly after this exchange, and the police have recovered a 16-minute recording of the conversation between the couple.
Khurana's mother, speaking to ANI, shared that the couple had initially been fine for a year, but soon after, frequent issues began to arise between them.
"I even separated them at one point, thinking it would bring them happiness. But even then, she continued to torture my child. My son quietly endured it all," she said.
She went on to explain that the conflicts were often related to money, their joint business, or family matters. Despite this, Khurana never opened up about his struggles to his parents. "He would think, 'Why burden my parents with tension?' He kept swallowing his sorrow and pain silently, and I don't know what she did yesterday. Earlier, he had recovered, but yesterday, she tortured him so much that he took this step."
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