One day after International Women’s Day, the body of South Asian woman Chaithanya Madhagani, also known as Swetha, was found in a wheelie bin in Buckley, near Point Cook in Victoria.
Chaithanya was a resident of Melbourne and a part of the large South Asian community in Point Cook. News sources are reporting that her death is a result of suspected family violence.
Chaithanya was a member of the Telugu community and originally came from Hyderabad, India, and lived in Australia with her husband Ashok Raj Varikuppala and their son.
A statement from the Victoria Police website confirmed the homicide squad are investigating the matter and the location where the body was found on Mount Pollack Road. When SAARI Collective reached out to Victoria Police to know the status of the probe, two days after the incident, they said: "We have no further updates at this stage. The investigation remains ongoing."
A second crime scene has been established at a residential address on Mirka Way, Point Cook, and is believed to be connected to the homicide.
Currently, there have been no arrests made in the incident. "The offender may have fled overseas," Victoria Police said. The officials are treating the death as "suspicious." It is believed the parties involved are known to one another, the police informed.
Reports from Indian ministers and Victorian Police mention an understanding that Chaithanya’s husband may have fled Australia to India. He has left their son with Chaithanya’s parents in Hyderabad.
The Victoria Police statement provided reassurance that “there is currently no threat to the community.”
The incident, which took place just a night after the world celebrated Women’s Day, is a tragic reminder of how family violence issues can often be invisible or overlooked. There is still insufficient data on South Asian family violence in Australia. Notably, very few resources are available specifically aligning support to the cultural circumstances of South Asian women in Australia.
Jaya Manchikanti, president of Melbourne-based Indian family violence prevention organization IndianCare expresses their condolences, hoping that “her son is well looked after and supported.”
“Although not all the facts have surfaced yet, this tragic murder may be a family violence incident. If that is the case, then it is indicative of a broader societal issue where family violence affects women three times more than men, in terms of physical and sexual violence. Research has shown that gender inequality is a main driver for violence against women,” Jaya told SAARI Collective.
“People in the South Asian communities must realise that it is okay to seek help. This is much better than letting issues become catastrophic,” she added.
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety’s (ANROWS) 2021 report states that women experiencing family violence in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities face more barriers than Anglo-Australian women while accessing help. [See more at this related article, Unseen barriers for diverse women reporting family violence.]
The Telugu Association of Australia Inc (TAAI), a not-for-profit org for all Telugu people in VIC, termed the incident as “devastating.”
“On behalf of the entire Telugu community of Melbourne & Australia news like this is very unfortunate and our prayers are with the family at this hour,” they shared on their Facebook page.
“She was very active and used to participate in our community events … she was very energetic,” said Praveen Kumar Thopucherla of the Melbourne Telangana Forum.
In the past few months, there have been consistent reports of violence against women. Australian Femicide Watch, led by a journalist and femicide researcher, Sherele Moody claimed, “Swetha is the 18th woman murdered this year.”
“SHE MATTERS: CHAITHANYA (SWETHA) MADHAGANI! March 9, 2024: Chaithanya (Swetha) Madhagani's body was found in a bin on the side of a road in Buckley, Victoria, today. It's believed she was murdered by her husband. Swetha is the 18th woman killed this year,” the organisation’s post on X reads. (https://twitter.com/MapFemicide/status/1766397662105112969)
Several other strong voices wrote about the incident and the increasing number of violent incidents against women.
“An Australian woman is killed every two weeks by someone they know. Many of them die, without even a mention. Just another statistic. For some, their murders make it into the public arena because of how their bodies were mutilated and dumped,” wrote Kosmos Samara, a former Labor Party strategist, researcher and Director at RedBridge Group Australia, on X (https://twitter.com/KosSamaras/status/1766747031551520778).
He also voiced his concern about the lack of action, stating, “There will be no week-long media coverage for Swetha. There will be no vigils. There will be no public expressions of empathy and grieving by total strangers. After all, she belongs to the wrong social class.”
Another post from an Australian, Shiannon Corcoran on X highlights the grim reality: “We are only 10 weeks into 2024 and already we have lost 18 women to violence. Almost 2 women per week. Many of them were domestic violence victims, many of them knew their attacker.” (https://twitter.com/ShiannonC/status/1766825490810286562 )
Raising concerns over increasing insensitivity, she said, “If we continue to desensitize ourselves to violence in society, we desensitize ourselves to everything that goes with it - including violence against women, disrespect, discrimination, sexism, misogyny, and stalking. We deserve to be safe. We aren’t safe.”
The 2021 Indian Women's Family Violence Project by Northern Community Legal Centre made 10 recommendations based on their recognition that the experience of family violence for Indian women, and for women on temporary visas more generally, has distinct characteristics that compound risk for women and children. Their recommendations were:
1. The complex matrix of marriage, migration and coercive control requires a dedicated community legal response.
2. There is an urgent need for prevention and education strategies targeting newly arrived communities.
3. The intersection between family law and migration law increases risk for Indian women.
4. The system is failing Indian women when offshore partner visa applications have been lodged.
5. The role of extended family members as perpetrators of family violence must be recognised within migration law.
6. There is an urgent need for cultural awareness and responsiveness training for police and judiciary.
7. Current migration law exposes Indian women to unnecessary further disadvantage resulting from perpetrators’ behaviour.
8. Work and study rights are critical for women rebuilding their lives after surviving family violence.
9. The threat to women returning to India is significant and extreme. Long delays in processing protection visa applications are negatively impacting women and children.
10. Access to independent financial support and housing are critical to ensuring safety for women and children.
Resources and Support
If you feel unsafe or threatened or fearful for yourself, a child or family member, please call 000.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
SafeSteps - Victoria's 24/7 family violence support centre, call 1800 015 188.
Lifeline - 24/7 online crisis and suicide support, call 13 11 14.
1800RESPECT for 24/7 on call and online counselling and support.
InTouch multicultural centre for family violence, for migrant and refugee support and during the COVID-19 pandemic
IndianCare for Indian family violence support programs in Victoria
Sikh Australian Support for Family Violence in Victoria
Beyond Blue (mental health support) - 1300 224 636
National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline - 1800 250 015.
Mensline Australia - 1300 789 978.
Radha Mishra is a seasoned journalist with over a decade of experience in newsrooms. Now practising independently, she is passionate about covering issues that matter. She strives to deliver accurate and impactful stories to audiences globally.
