A shocking incident has come to light where Vaishnavi Shashank Hagwane, daughter-in-law of Rajendra Hagwane—a leader from the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party—died by suicide by hanging herself. The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on Friday, May 16, at Bhukum in Mulshi. An FIR has been filed at the Bavdhan Police Station under charges of abetment to suicide.
The case has been registered against Shashank Rajendra Hagwane (husband), Rajendra Tukaram Hagwane (father-in-law), Lata Rajendra Hagwane (mother-in-law), Karishma Rajendra Hagwane (sister-in-law), and Sushil Rajendra Hagwane (brother-in-law). The complaint was filed by Anil alias Anand Sahebrao Kaspate (51), a resident of Kaspute Vasti, Wakad.
According to the police, Vaishnavi locked herself inside her bedroom and hanged herself. After repeated knocks on the door went unanswered, her husband Shashank broke the door open and found her hanging. He rushed her to a private hospital where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Police also reported visible injury marks on her body. The FIR states that Vaishnavi was subjected to ongoing mental and physical harassment over dowry demands.
Vaishnavi and Shashank had a love marriage in 2023. The wedding was conducted at a lavish venue in Susgaon, with 51 tolas of gold, a luxury car, and silver utensils given as dowry. The very next day, Vaishnavi’s in-laws allegedly began harassing her. They expressed anger over not receiving the promised silver utensils and reportedly used derogatory language against her. Additionally, her character was questioned, leading to emotional trauma.
In August 2023, Vaishnavi became pregnant. Her husband Shashank allegedly doubted her fidelity, physically assaulted her, and threw her out of the house, claiming the child wasn’t his. Under stress from constant harassment and dowry demands, she consumed poison in an attempt to end her life. She was admitted to a private hospital in Aundh, where none of her in-laws came to visit. Once she recovered, she was sent back to her marital home.
Later, Shashank allegedly demanded ₹2 crore from the complainant to purchase land. When the demand was refused, he reportedly threatened Vaishnavi and said, “We are a politically influential family in Bhukum. You cannot match our status if you cannot give ₹2 crore.” He then allegedly assaulted her and sent her back to her parents’ home.
After Vaishnavi was sent back to her in-laws’ home by her family, she faced more abuse. In March 2025, her mother-in-law Lata and sister-in-law Karishma allegedly abused and physically assaulted her over a minor issue. They even spat on her and drove her to Wakad, where they dropped her off after assaulting her inside the car. Vaishnavi reportedly said she would jump out of the car, prompting them to stop the beating.
On Friday, May 16, Shashank informed a relative of the complainant over the phone that he had a quarrel with Vaishnavi. Later, around 4:30 p.m., he called again to say that Vaishnavi had hanged herself and was admitted to a private hospital. When the complainant and his relatives reached the hospital, they were informed that she had died before treatment could begin. They also observed signs of physical assault on her body. When the complainant confronted Shashank and Rajendra Hagwane about the injuries, they allegedly replied, “We killed your daughter,” according to the FIR.
The Bavdhan Police are conducting further investigations into the case.
