Killed scribe’s mother knows lot but not talking: police

RANCHI - The slain Delhi journalist Nirupama Pathak’s mother, arrested for alleged involvement in the murder of her daughter, was tightlipped during interrogation but seemed to know a lot, police in Jharkhand said Tuesday. They sent their report to the National Commission for Women (NCW).

Sudha Pathak was arrested Monday and her husband and sons were also quizzed about what some believe to be a case of “honour killing”.

“She is not revealing anything but it seems that she knows much about the murder,” Superintendent of Police (Koderma) G. Kranti Kumar told IANS.

“The mother has been frequently changing her statements. First she said Nirupama died due to electrocution. Later, the family members produced a suicide note and said she killed herself by hanging from the ceiling fan. The post-mortem examination says she was murdered by smothering. It also revealed that she was 10-12 weeks pregnant,” he said.

Police Tuesday also sought the help of a forensic team, which collected samples from Nirupama’s house.

Asked if police had found the reason of the murder, Kranti Kumar said: “Wait till our investigation is complete.”

State Director General of Police Neyaz Ahmad told IANS that they had Tuesday sent a report regarding Nirupama Pathak’s murder but refused to divulge details of the report.

According to sources, the report includes details of the incident and post-mortem examination report. The report also includes details of investigation taking place and role of the family members.

Meanwhile, Nirupama’s family members pleaded their innocence.

Her father Dharmendra Pathak said that Nirupama “committed suicide”. “We were trying to convince her to get married in our own caste. There was no pressure on her,” he said.

He denied putting pressure on Nirupama to leave Priyabanshu, her former batchmate at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in the national capital, with whom she was allegedly having a relationship - which her parents reportedly did not approve of because he was from a lower caste.

“She was a journalist and can a journalist be pressurised to accept terms?” he said.

“Priyabhashu should be arrested and interrogated in the death of Nirupama. Chop off our hands and legs if we are found guilty in the death of Nirupama,” Nirupama’s brother Samrendra told local news channels.

Nirupama, 23, a Delhi-based journalist, was found dead April 29 in her home in Koderma, around 200 km from Ranchi. Police suspect the role of family members in the murder but have yet to get clinching evidence.

She had come home April 19 and was due to return April 28. But her reservation was cancelled and she was found dead the next day.