Despite SC, HC orders, house of murder accused's father demolished in Uttarakhand

Time of India

06-05-2025

Rudrapur: Authorities have demolished the house of the man whose son is suspected to have murdered a 38-year-old Gurgaon-based woman, days after her dismembered body was found under a bridge in Khatima, Udham Singh Nagar, despite the case still being investigated. The action came on Monday evening amid recent warnings from Supreme Court and Uttarakhand high court against punitive demolitions of accused persons' homes.The demolished property in Sitarganj locality was owned by Ali Ahmed and allegedly built on govt land that had been allotted to a Scheduled Tribe (ST) beneficiary named Mathura Singh. Officials said prior eviction notices were served but not complied with. District magistrate Nitin Bhadauria and SSP Manikant Mishra supervised the demolition on site. "This demolition sends a strong message to land mafias and criminals: encroachments on ST land will not be tolerated," Bhadauria said.Jharna Kumari, also known as Puja, had been in a live-in relationship with Ali's son Mushtaq Ahmed. She had travelled from Gurugram to Sitarganj in Nov 2024. Her younger sister filed a missing person report in Gurgaon in April 2025, after repeated attempts to get the Sitarganj police to act failed. Mushtaq, originally from Gaurikhera village under Sitarganj police jurisdiction, had met Jharna in 2022 at the Rudrapur bus stand. She was separated from her husband and raising two children alone in Gurgaon, where she worked with her sister. Mushtaq had moved there as well and was working as a cab driver.Investigators said Mushtaq allegedly lured Jharna to Sitarganj on the pretext of reconciliation. He then murdered her and dumped her decapitated body under the Nadanna bridge in Khatima on April 30. A special team from Haryana Police, led by sub-inspector Pramod Kumar, tracked Mushtaq to U S Nagar. "Based on Mushtaq's confession, we recovered the body from beneath the underpass. The investigation is ongoing," Kumar said.Jharna's family had learned that Mushtaq had married someone else. Following a confrontation, a panchayat settlement was reportedly reached. She was never seen again. Her brother Ashish said Sitarganj police refused to lodge an FIR when they first approached. "They told us she'll return on her own. They did nothing," he added. Ashish identified her body by a floral dupatta she wore on Raksha Bandhan. "She was wearing the dupatta when she tied rakhi on my wrist. I can't believe she's gone... and in such a horrific way," he said.The family alleged that Mushtaq once attempted to sell Jharna's daughter, prompting a rescue. Despite this, Puja had continued the relationship until it ended fatally. SSP Manikant Mishra said, "The allegations of negligence against the local police are being investigated."In a similar case, Uttarakhand high court last week stayed a demolition notice issued to Mohammad Usman, accused of raping a 12-year-old girl, after Nainital municipal council moved to raze his home. The court observed that initiating demolitions immediately after arrests violated Supreme Court's 2023 directive, which mandates due process and a 15-day notice period. It also asked authorities to submit an unconditional apology, observing that sending notices immediately after arrests could amount to extrajudicial punishment.