Hisar honour killing: Forensic exam to play key role

Haryana police have taken Ritu’s ashes in its possession and sent it to the Forensic Sciences Laboratory,Madhuban at Karnal.

“We have taken the ashes in our custody and sent it for forensic examination to ascertain if the woman was cremated there. It is the only evidence that we have got so far to nail the accused Rameshwar for his daughter’s death. Since the victim had already been cremated,there was no way,we could have established if she was murdered. The forensic examination shall be playing a vital role in the prosecution’s case,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Amrik Singh,who is posted at Hansi in Hisar,said.

Rameshwar,a farmer from Umra,was allegedly against his daughter’s affair with a boy of the same village,who belongs to a different caste.

Ritu had passed her matriculation exams after which she was not allowed to continue her studies.

“Despite resistance from her family members,she continued meeting the boy. When her father Rameshwar learnt of the same,he,along with his two sons Sunil and Rajesh and brother Jaidev Singh,mercilessly thrashed Ritu to death. It is alleged that the women were also present in the house at the time,when the incident took place. I heard screams and cries of the girl,as the four continued beating her mercilessly,causing her death,” Ajit Singh,Rameshwar’s neighbour and the complainant in the case,told the police.

Next morning,Rameshwar Singh,his brother and sons,allegedly cremated Ritu’s body. While the police have booked all four including Rameshwar,his brother Jaidev and two sons Sunil and Rajesh,the three are yet to be arrested.

“It is a unique kind of investigation. Though the circumstantial evidence is against Rameshwar and other accused in the case,but substantial evidence is required to finally get the case to a logical conclusion. The ashes’ forensic examination shall play a vital role in the case,” said a senior Haryana police officer.