Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR Aug 24: A family from Malganpora village in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district protested here today, demanding an investigation into their daughter’s alleged murder by her in-laws.
The family members gathered at the press enclave and demanded an inquiry into the death of their newlywed daughter. They alleged that the husband and in-laws of their deceased daughter are attempting to portray her murder as a suicide.
They said that the 22-year-old woman had married a man who worked as a carpenter in a neighbouring village, Koil Muqam, four months ago. “Let us, for a moment, assume that, as per the police, my sister committed suicide. Why, then, were there signs of torture on her body? During the deceased’s ablution, we discovered marks of torture on her back, legs, arms, and even burns on her body,” said Imtiyaz Ahmed Bhat, the victim’s brother.
He explained that six days ago, they received a phone call from a fellow villager informing them that Ishrat had died at her in-laws’ house. They, along with some respected villagers, rushed to Koil Muqam, only to be informed that the body had already been taken to the hospital for a postmortem. “We were denied access to view the body. We do not understand why the police and Ishrat’s in-laws did not wait for us and immediately sent the body for post-mortem,” Imtiyaz Ahmed stated.
He added that they were informed that Ishrat had committed suicide, but neither the police nor Ishrat’s in-laws informed them about the incident. “It was only during the washing of the deceased’s body that our female relatives discovered the torture marks. They took photographs of the body and showed them to the police at the Paribal post, where the police officer assured us that the investigation would be expedited. A case under CrPC 174 related to suicide has been registered by the police.”
The protesters said that there was no reason for Ishrat to take her own life. “Ishrat’s in-laws were embroiled in a land dispute with relatives, and she might have been killed during a confrontation. We are confident that she did not commit suicide, and we demand the arrest of the culprits who are still at large,” they declared, calling for justice.
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