The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday said it would write to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the dowry death case of a 31-year-old model married to a Bhopal lawyer, even as the Bhopal district court rejected the family’s request for a second autopsy.
“A letter will be written to the CBI regarding the investigation into this case. While the court will take a decision on the second autopsy of the deceased, transport facilities will be provided to shift the remains to AIIMS in Delhi, if the family members so desire,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The deceased’s father had met Prime Minister Mohan Yadav, who assured him of the government’s help in achieving justice.
Read also: Cops urge Bhopal woman’s family to claim body ‘to prevent decomposition’: ‘Requires -80°C’
The chief minister also told him that the police would challenge the interim bail granted to the woman’s mother-in-law, a retired district judge and president of a consumer forum. The family has written to the governor demanding her removal from the consumer forum.
Magistrate Anodita Sharma directed Katara Hills Police to keep the body in a facility within the state where a well-equipped morgue is available to prevent decomposition after the police expressed concern about the condition of the body.
City inspector Sunil Dubey cited a letter from the forensic department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhopal to say the body was decomposed. The body was kept in a freezer at -4 degrees Celsius and a freezer is required at -80 degrees Celsius to prevent further decomposition, which is not available at AIIMS Bhopal, Dubey added quoting the letter. He called on the family to hand over the body.
In court, the victim’s lawyer, Anurag Shrivastava, claimed that there was a delay in informing the family about her death and alleged that the police and the administration were trying to destroy evidence.
“We highlighted the discrepancies as the CCTV footage showed the date of May 10, but the woman died on May 12. The family alleged that she might have faced brutality on May 10 and pointed out suspicious behavior by her in-laws,” the lawyer said.
They also claimed that the woman was making a phone call to her mother on May 12 when her husband shouted in the background; The call was lost, and within half an hour the family was informed of her death.
Police told the court that by the time they recovered the belt used in the hanging, the autopsy had already been carried out. Police described the injuries as “general in nature” but failed to explain how they were sustained.
Based on the court order, Shrivastava said they would move the High Court and asked the police to preserve the body.
Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Singh said: “The special court is investigating the case. The police have no objection to further autopsy. The initial report indicated death by hanging with a nylon belt. A case of dowry death has been registered immediately after the suicide.”
Her mother-in-law denied all the accusations and said the woman suffered from a “double personality” and was unsure of her decisions, including pregnancy and lifestyle choices. She has been granted temporary bail, while her son is on the run.
She defended her fugitive son and said that he was exercising his constitutional rights. A probation warrant has been issued against him.
The woman’s family condemned the character assassination attempts. Her sister said: “She is not alive to defend herself, so it is shameful for her mother-in-law to make false accusations and insult a dead person.”
The woman, a former model and IT specialist, died on May 12. Her family later provided chat records alleging that she was being mentally harassed by her husband and mother-in-law.
A case has been registered against the retired judge and her 33-year-old son under Sections 80(2) and 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Section 3(5) of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, at Katara Hills police station.
