Mahalakshmi, a montessori teacher, was declared ‘brought dead’ at the hospital she was taken to in Bangalore after her husband Dharmesh Kumar slapped her following an argument on March 11. Histopathlogy reports have confirmed that she had died of neurogenic shock (resulting from damage to the central nervous system), due to the impact of the slap.
Doctors say hitting someone on the face is very dangerous compared to other parts of the body. “The face has a huge array of nerve endings. A slap can damage any of these parts and also affect the blood flow from the heart,” said a Bangalore-based neurologist who did not want to be named. After Dharmesh slapped Mahalakshmi, she collapsed, and was rushed to a hospital. However, she was already dead by the time they reached. Dharmesh was then arrested.
The police will now file the chargesheet mentioning the findings of the histopathology report. However, they say he could escape murder charges. In all likelihood, he will be booked under IPC section 304 (A), under which an accused can be imprisoned for up to two years or fined or both for “causing death through a harsh or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide.”