Killed scribe’s mother tightlipped during questioning

RANCHI - Sudha Pathak, arrested for alleged involvement in the murder of her journalist daughter Nirupama, has been tightlipped during interrogation but seems to know a lot, police in Jharkhand said Tuesday.

Pathak was arrested Monday; her husband and sons were also quizzed about what some believe could 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.

Nirupama, a Delhi-based journalist, was found dead April 29 in her home in Koderma, around 200 km from here. She was allegedly having an affair with her former batchmate in New Delhi - a relationship her parents reportedly did not approve of because he was from a lower caste.

Police suspect the role of family members in the murder but have yet to get clinching evidence.

“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 says she was murdered by smothering. It also revealed that she was 10-12 weeks pregnant,” Kumar said.

Police Tuesday also sought the help of a forensic team to help probe the murder.

“We will go to the house along with a forensic team to further investigate into the case,” he said.

When asked about the reason of the murder, Kumar said: “Wait till our investigation is complete.”

Director General of Police (DGP) Neyaz Ahmad added that the letter from the National Commission of Women (NCW) asking for a probe had been received and a reply would be sent after getting details from Koderma.

Nirupama 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.

Her father Dharmendra Pathak is a bank officer and he is posted at Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. He arrived Koderma on April 29 when Nirupama’s body was found in her home.

The 23-year-old had earlier done a diploma from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in the national capital.