Today, as Harshita Brella is laid to rest by her family in New Delhi, we join them in mourning her untimely loss and in celebrating the remarkable person her loved ones knew her to be. Through conversations with her family, we have learnt Harshita to be a kind and thoughtful soul with big dreams for the full and happy life she had hoped to lead. This is the life Harshita was unduly cheated out of by her husband, who subjected her to domestic abuse, and who is believed to have allegedly killed her before subsequently fleeing the UK.
Harshita, a migrant woman with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and recognised by statutory authorities as a victim of domestic abuse, tragically lost her life. Her case is a devastating reminder of the structural barriers to support, and the recurrent state failures faced by Black, minoritised and migrant victims, often with fatal consequences.
We stand with Harshita’s family in this deeply painful time to mark the day in Harshita’s memory. We remember her not just as a victim of violence against women and girls, but as the vibrant individual her loved ones knew her to be. We remember her for the indelible mark she left on the countless lives she touched. We honour the life she lived, and grieve the lost possibilities of the years ahead.
In the days to come, we will continue to support Harshita’s family as they strive for answers and pursue justice and truth. The burden of responsibility rests on statutory authorities in the UK, to ensure perpetrator and state accountability for Harshita’s loss and to prevent similarly calamitous outcomes for other Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors.
