SIT indicts victim's friend for murder
Bathinda, July 21 -- A 19-year-old youth from Maur town in Bathinda, Mukul Mittal, has been charged with the murder of a college student whose body was recovered from the Kotla branch canal on March 12.
Headed by superintendent of police (city) Narinder Singh, the SIT relied on circumstantial evidences and statements to indict Mukul for the crime and charged six others under Sections 238 (disappearance of evidence), 249 (harbouring an offender) and 239 (intentional omission of giving information respecting the offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Mukul, his parents Ravi Kumar and Dimple Rani and uncle Raj Kumar were arrested on March 11. Mukul's friends Karan and Raghav were arrested on March 11 and 12, respectively, but were granted bail on July 4. The Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to a 16-year-old accused on June 19.
The deceased, a student from a Chandigarh-based college, reportedly went missing under mysterious circumstances on March 9 after reaching her hometown Maur but failing to return to her hostel. Her body was recovered three days later by a team from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), prompting public outcry and the formation of two SITs by the authorities.
The SIT based its findings on circumstantial evidence, including call detail records (CDRs), CCTV footage, and witness statements. Mukul and the deceased were reportedly close friends, with 49 phone calls exchanged between them from March 8 to March 10. According to the SIT report (a copy of which is with HT), the two met on the evening of March 9 and were together until the early hours of March 10. They travelled to a temple in Barnala in an SUV before returning to Maur and moving around the town on a motorcycle.
The report states that the two had a heated argument over Mukul's plans to move to Pune for higher studies, after which he allegedly pushed the girl into the canal. While no direct eyewitness or video footage of the act exists, the police have cited Mukul's behaviour post-incident, making multiple calls to friends and relatives as part of the circumstantial evidence.
Mukul and his uncle Raj Kumar have also been accused of attempting to destroy evidence by hiding the victim's mobile phone, clothes and belongings.
Mukul's parents, Ravi Kumar and Dimple Rani, allegedly tampered with CCTV footage and the DVR system at their home, the SIT report stated. They, along with Raj Kumar and three of Mukul's friends - Raghav Singla, Karan Bansal and a juvenile - have been charged under Sections 238, 249, and 239 of the BNS.
A forensic report has confirmed the cause of death as antemortem drowning, supporting the SIT's conclusion that the victim was alive when she entered the canal.
Initially, the victim's father had told police that his daughter called her mother claiming she had been abducted and faced an attempt of sexual assault. However, in a revised statement to the SIT, he said his earlier remarks were made "in a huff" and claimed the girl was forcibly held at Mukul's residence between 8.30pm and 1.30am on the night of the incident.
Following submission of the police challan in the court last month, conspiracy and abduction charges were dropped against all seven accused. Mukul's three friends were granted bail, but on July 4, the court rejected the bail applications of Mukul's parents....
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