GUWAHATI: A local court in Guwahati on Tuesday convicted three members of a family in connection with the December 4, 2017 murder of a meritorious college student, Shweta Agarwal, in the city and the victim’s father demanded death penalty for all the convicts.
“I am happy that they have been convicted. I thank the judiciary and the police for that. However, I will not get peace as long as they are not hanged. I want death penalty for all of them,” Shweta’s father Om Prakash Agarwal told journalists outside the court.
He said the last over 18 months had been agonizing for his family members and they were now happy that the victim got justice.
The court convicted Govind Singhal, who was Shweta’s boyfriend, his mother Kamla Devi and his sister Bhawani under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC. The quantum of punishment is likely to be pronounced on Wednesday.
Shweta was found murdered at the house of the Singhals. Following investigation, the police had said the girl was murdered by her boyfriend.
On that fateful day, Govind took Shweta to his rented accommodation at Shantipur locality of the city. Soon, they picked up a quarrel on the issue of their marriage. During the heated exchange of words, they pushed and shoved each other. He once pushed her so hard that she hit her head against a wall and fell down, unconscious. Eventually, she died.
Govind had made an attempt to dump the body outside but soon shelved the plan. Later, he took it to the bathroom and set fire to it with the help of kerosene.
Govind’s mother and sister had told the police that they were not at home when the crime was committed. The police had found some gaps in the statements given by the three convicts.
Shweta was among toppers in her 12th grade exam in the commerce stream in 2015. At the time of murder, she was a 5th semester student. The murder triggered an outrage among Guwahati residents.