This is what Kishan Lal Thapa, whose 67-year old wife was raped and murdered by his own employer in old Delhi on the eve of New Year, said to Republica at a small Nepali restaurant at nearby Rama Krishna Ashram late Wednesday.[break]
The shocking incident took place in Majnu ka Tila on December 31 when Achey Lal, 45, who had earlier been acquitted in a rape case, was arrested for allegedly raping and murdering Thapa´s wife Sharada, who used to work as a maid. She was found lying on the floor in her house and was rushed to Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital where doctors declared her dead, police said.
Lal was arrested after a local girl tipped off police that he was the last person seen at the site of the incident. His mobile phone was also found near the body. He was apprehended while trying to escape from the spot, and during questioning he "confessed" to the crime.
Recalling the incident, Thapa said, “Lal came to my one-room quarters that day around 9 a.m. and sent me on some errand,” adding, “When I returned around 3 p.m., Sarada had already been taken to hospital by the police.”
Witnesses told Republica that Lal and the deceased had been alone in the house. He made her cook some meat and both consumed alcohol. “Police said that when Lal attacked her, she resisted, he gaged her with a cloth, and this led to her death,” a neighbor who did not want to be named said.
Thapa was married to Sarada for almost 40 years. The couple came to Delhi from Haryana just two years ago. She was a Gujarati from Bombay who was earlier married to a Marathi. The couple did not have any children.
“Back in 1962 I used to work at Rajouri Garden in Delhi as a driver and moved to various parts of India as a daily wage laborer. I returned to Delhi just two years ago,” Thapa said.
“I want to return home since I have nothing left here now,” Thapa, who hails from Dhulikhel in Kavre district, said with tears, adding, “But my Nepali brothers and sisters here say Lal will be released if I leave now.”
“I want justice for my wife. Lal should be duly punished for both the crimes,” he added.
Help Nepali Mission, a local NGO run by a small group of Nepalis, has come to Thapa´s rescue. It has been sheltering Thapa, besides taking up his case. “We want to fight his case and see the guilty get utmost punishment,” Kabi Karki, president of the Mission, said, adding, “If he leaves India, it will weaken our case. So we will provide him food and shelter until the verdict comes.”
Karki also said that Sarada was owed a hefty sum (around Indian rupees 7 million) by one Naina Verma for whom she worked for 20 years as a maid. The Vermas lived in Rajouri Garden. “We will see how we can recover the money on Thapa´s behalf,” Karki said.
Meanwhile, Nanda Sharma, a Delhi High Court lawyer working on Thapa´s case, informed Republica that the first hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday at Tis Hajari Court where Thapa will be summoned.
“I am positive the court will favor him (Thapa) on humanitarian grounds since he now has no one,” Sharma said, adding, “We will fight the case under 376 and 302 of the Indian Penal Code.”
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