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A 30-year-old Assistant Section Officer (ASO) working in the Ministry of Defence was found hanging at her residential flat in Delhi’s Dwarka on August 21, with her family alleging that she had been subjected to continuous mental and physical harassment by her husband and in-laws. Naziya Khanam was three months pregnant at the time of her death.

Naziya was taken to a hospital in an unresponsive condition after she was found hanging and was declared dead.

Her family has alleged that she was being repeatedly abused and physically assaulted by her husband and his family and has sought strict legal action in the case.

According to an India Today report, Naziya’s father, Towab Khan, alleged that his daughter had been continuously harassed by her husband Ajm Ali Khan, mother-in-law Samin Nisha, father-in-law Babar Ali Khan and other members of her in-laws’ family.

Towab Khan alleged that Naziya was frequently abused and physically assaulted and was threatened with being thrown out of the house and killed.

He also alleged that she had repeatedly informed her family about the harassment over phone calls.

According to the report, Towab Khan said his daughter was three months pregnant and alleged that there had been no improvement in her husband’s behaviour despite her complaints.

The circumstances leading up to Naziya’s death were also being examined by police.

The report mentioned that Naziya’s husband told police that an argument had taken place between the couple before the incident. He claimed that Naziya locked him inside a room and went into another room.

According to his account, he then called their landlord, who came to the balcony and helped him out using a ladder.

The husband told police that he subsequently looked through a window and found Naziya hanging from the ceiling fan with a chunni.

Naziya’s family, however, has alleged that she was killed by her in-laws. The family’s allegations and the husband’s account are part of the investigation and have not been independently established.

Following Naziya’s death, her father Towab Khan and her brother recorded their statements before Executive Magistrate Dinesh Rana in Bijwasan.

The family has alleged harassment and physical abuse by Naziya’s husband and in-laws and demanded that a case be registered against those responsible.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said they were taking legal action following Naziya’s death and that an FIR under relevant sections was registered.

Police registered the case under Sections 85 and 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to cruelty by a husband or his relatives and abetment of suicide, respectively. Police said further investigation was underway.

Delhi Police, however, said that during the inquest proceedings, the statement recorded before the SDM did not contain any allegation of dowry.

Police also said that Naziya and her husband were staying together at their Dwarka residence.

According to India Today, Naziya got married to Ajm Ali Khan on April 11, 2026. She was 30 years old and worked as an Assistant Section Officer in the Ministry of Defence.

Naziya Khanam's family has alleged that her husband and in-laws subjected her to continuous mental and physical harassment, and they have sought strict legal action. Her father specifically named her husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and other family members as harassers. The family also alleges that she was killed by her in-laws.

Delhi has topped the list of metropolitan cities for dowry death cases for five consecutive years, with 109 incidents reported in 2024. These cases resulted in 111 deaths in 2024. The crime rate for dowry deaths in Delhi is 1.4 per 100,000 population. Overall, Delhi also recorded the highest number of crimes against women among 19 major cities in 2024, with 13,396 cases.