A grieving mother has laid bare the story of the domestic abuse her daughter’s ex-boyfriend inflicted on her and which led to her taking her own life.
25-year-old Meera Dalal had suffered from physical and mental abuse for years which ultimately resulted to her ending her life in her family home in Syston in 2016. The NHS professional had sought help from doctors and a report from her GP was read out as evidence at the original inquest in Loughborough.
An inquest had later found that Meera, killed herself after suffering violence and abuse from her ex-partner. Now her mother, Daksha, has teamed up with author and domestic abuse campaigner Saurav Dutt to chronicle her grief and to reveal the ordeal her daughter went through in a book. They hope to create a guide for other vulnerable persons who may be experiencing abuse but don’t know where to turn.
Titled 'Fall in Light: A Mother's Story' the memoir sheds light into sexual assault, psychological abuse, various forms of coercion, violence and intimidation. It also highlights subjects that are often considered taboo in South Asian communities such as depression, mental wellness, and suicide awareness.
In a statement to Leicester Mercury, Daksha said, “It may have been five years ago since I lost my darling daughter, but it feels like five minutes ago. The loss of a child is an intense grief that you will never, ever be able to overcome. Sometimes I go to sleep and I don’t want to wake up. But I have to raise awareness of this kind of abuse - especially in the South Asian community - so that not one more single person feels so defeated and weakened that they have to take their own life.
“If I could help one girl, one child or somebody’s daughter, that would make me happy and give me some measure of peace. I know that there is help out there for the vulnerable but you have to be willing and brave enough to take it.”
Saurav Dutt’s debut novel The Butterfly Room also chronicled the accounts of more than 200 domestic abuse survivors.
