Kajal was four months pregnant when the attack occurred on January 22. Police officials reported that her husband, Ankur Chaudhary, struck her with a metal dumbbell and smashed her head against a door frame. Doctors declared her brain-dead the same night.
Speaking to reporters, Kajal’s brother, Nikhil, recalled his last phone call with her, during which he was forced to hear her screams as she was assaulted.
Inspired by a Mother’s Dream
Hailing from Ganaur in Haryana, Kajal’s journey into law enforcement was deeply inspired by her mother, Meena. Unable to pursue her own dream of joining the police due to early marriage and family responsibilities, Meena trained and motivated her children to fulfill the ambition she could not.
“Becoming a police officer was my childhood dream, but I could not fulfil it. I decided my children would achieve what I could not,” Meena told HT.
Kajal studied at Navodaya Vidyalaya in Sonipat until Class 10 and completed her Class 12 at a government girls’ school in her hometown. She later pursued a BSc at Arya Post Graduate College in Panipat, where she met Ankur Chaudhary. The couple eventually married after securing government jobs; Chaudhary became a clerk in the Defence Ministry.
After two years of rigorous training, Kajal joined the Delhi Police in 2022. Shortly thereafter, she volunteered for the elite all-women SWAT unit of the Special Cell, a position that reflected both her skill and determination.
A Family Shattered
Kajal’s brother Nikhil, also a Delhi Police constable, said their mother used his success in the 2018 recruitment exams to motivate Kajal. “She trained her until she cleared the tests and joined the force in 2022,” he said.
Meena expressed her grief over the loss of her daughter’s promising career, cut short by “greed.” She alleged that her in-laws’ behavior changed after the family could not meet their demands for cash and a car.
Even amid this tragedy, Meena hopes her youngest child, 16-year-old son, will follow in Kajal’s footsteps, continuing the legacy of her unrealized dream.
