ROORKEE: Haridwar's Laksar court has given death sentence on Friday to three brothers for killing their sister with a sharp-edged weapon as she married a man without the consent of her family members. The victim and her husband were from the Gujjar community. The case dates back to 2018 and the accused were arrested immediately after the crime. The session court put the case under the "rarest of rare" category.
According to reports, one Preeti, a resident of Shahpur village under Khanpur police limits in Laksar, had married Brij Mohan of neighbouring Dharampur village against wishes of her family members in 2014. After that she lost contact with her family members. But on May 17,2018 she was invited at her maternal uncle house in Avadhipur near Laksar where his sibling brothers--Kuldeep and Arun--alongwith her cousin Rahul attacked on her head and other parts of body with axe and spade to death on May 18, 2018 at about 1.30 pm. It is reported that victim in this broad day incident had sustained over 20 deep wounds injuries.
"Additional district & session judge, Laksar, Shanker Raj has convicted Kuldeep (29), Arun (27) and Rahul (24) for capital punishment after slapping an additional fine of Rs 1 lakh on each, considering the case as rarest of rare category," Bhupeshwar Thakral, assistant district government counsel (crime) told TOI. Rahul, according to Thakral, was not directly involved in attacking on the victim personally but he had worked as conspirator in the case.
Expressing his satisfaction over the court verdict, victim's husband Brij Mohan said that justice has been done in his matter. "It is true that we got married secretly but our community was same and even our Gotras were also different. My in-laws could adopt us but in a name of fake honour as I had worked in their family as a tractor-operator considering my social status low in comparision of them, they had decided to eliminate both of us from their ways. It was a fateful day for Preeti that she went alone to her uncle house. Otherwise if I had not a work on my own fields, I would have gone alongwith her on that day to stay with in-laws for a day or two, " reacted 32-year-old Brij Mohan.
However, families of convicts said that judgment had disappointed them and they would go to High Court against this verdict as lower court has not heard them properly. "My sons did not kill her own sister (Preeti) but it was her husband Brij Mohan who had planned her murder as he was not happy with Preeti owing to her family status of without any own child from his marriage of over four years,"62-year-old Neipal Singh, father of (convicts) Kuldeep and Arun told TOI.
