Twists in young Journalists death in NewDelhi

In a new twist to the alleged honour killing of 22-year-old journalist Nirupama Rathak, who died at her family home in Koderma, the chief civil surgeon of the area claimed on Tuesday that at least three persons were probably involved in the murder.

Pranoy Mohan, chief civil surgeon (Koderma district), told that the postmortem report indicates that it would have taken at least three persons to smother the girl. "There are no external injuries on her body. It seems that someone stuffed a pillow over her nose and face, and two others used cloth to tie down her hand and feet to stop her from breaking free. The noose was tied around the neck definitely after her death," Mohan said.


At present, the only person charged with the crime is Nirupama's mother Subha. The claim came at a time when a forensics team from Ranchi visited the murder spot, under Jhumri Talaiya police station, to collect evidence. At the same time, the Koderma police dispatched teams to Mumbai and Gonda, UP, the workplaces of Nirupama's brother and father, respectively. The teams would find out whether they were present at work around April 29 -- the day Nirupama died -- to ascertain their role in the alleged crime.

Koderma SP Kranti Kumar said if it was found that the duo was absent from work, it could be assumed that they were also party to the heinous act. Kumar said that Nirupama's mother Subha, who was arrested on the charge on killing the girl, has been sent to judicial custody. "Earlier, she had been frequently changing her statements and trying to evade our questions. Her ill-heath too has been a problem for our investigations," said Kumar.

Nirupama, a sub-editor with a Delhi-based business daily, was in love with Priyavanshu Ranjan, who was her batchmate at IIMC, Delhi. The boy was from a lower caste and her parents reportedly did not approve of the relationship. What complicated matters further was the fact that Nirupama was three months pregnant.

The SP said that the team from Ranchi's state forensic laboratory on Tuesday visited the room where Nirupama's body was found and examined the articles seized by the police. They would submit their report to the Koderma police in a day or two. "We are leaving no stone unturned and carefully examining every aspect of the case which might be vital for prosecuting the culprits. We are also interrogating the neighbours and some residents of Koderma who know the family," Kumar said. He said the girl's boyfriend, Priyavanshu Ranjan, will also be interrogated.

Meanwhile, Dharmesh Pathak, Nirupama's father, maintained that the girl had committed suicide. He admitted that the family had told Nirupama to choose a life partner from their own caste and disapproved her marriage to a non-Brahmin boy.

Her brother, Samarendra, in a press statement issued on Tuesday, held Priyavanshu responsible for the death and demanded his immediate arrest for making Nirupama pregnant out of wedlock. The SP denied having received any petition from Samarendra in this connection.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women asked Jharkhand government to take action against all persons involved in the suspected honour killing and demanded that the case be transferred to a fast track court. "We have told them (Jharkhand officials) clearly that culprits should be arrested and I am glad that at least one has been arrested. I just talked to them and said other perpetrators should also be arrested," NCW chairperson Girija Vyas told reporters outside Parliament.

Sources claimed that a maternal uncle of Pathak and a local leader, along with Nirupama's father and brothers, are also under the scanner for their role in the case. Stressing that the incident raised questions over the safety of women, Vyas said, "If this can happen with this woman (journalist), then who is safe in this country?"

Talking to Times City, Priyavanshu said he was expecting more arrests. "She had been receiving too many frequent calls from her family and I knew that she was under stress. But she kept assuring me that everything will be well. We will hold a peace march demanding the arrest of all accused at India Gate on Saturday," he said.

Friends of Pathak from IIMC and colleagues in her organization described her as a "happy" person, serious about work and deadlines. "She was one of the select few who got a job offer in her first interview in a lean year," recalled her hostelmate and later a colleague at the business paper.