Their argument is there just was no reason for their daughter to commit suicide. Moreover, when they were called in to see the body it was not in a hanging position but was laid out on the floor and "there were clearly visible blue marks on the neck and mouth, indicating that she was physically tortured". [break]
Also, according to DSP Arun BC at Hanumandhoka police office, who has been handling the case, suspicion indeed arises why the Prasain family did not call the police to see for themselves the body in a hanging position instead of only reporting it to have been hanging.
However, the reports of not only the first post-mortem but also the re-postmortem carried out three days ago confirm that the death was due to hanging, according to Inspector General of Police Kuber Singh Rana.
The report came out through media but has not yet been formally released, and hundreds of people utterly dissatisfied with it have been turning up at Baluwatar every day since the last 11 days to pressure the government to carry out proper investigations in this and other cases.
“My daughter was about to leave the Prasain house for good and she had shared this with her daughter also. Both were happy about plans to come and live with us at Ghattekulo. As a single parent, she was committed to providing a good future for her only child, and she would fight any odds for the sake of her daughter,” said the bereaved mother. “If at all she had committed suicide, why did they not call the police or us to see for ourselves?” she asked.
Khadak Prasad said his granddaughter had told him that her mother was packing their things to move out just a day before the incident. “My inner mind tells me that she cannot have committed suicide. But we are poor and powerless people and cannot prevent them from twisting the truth,” he said adding that they have not been formally informed about the re-postmortem report yet.
Saraswati used to cook for the Prasian family in the morning and evening and during the daytime work at a boarding school where her daughter studied for free. As she did not have to pay for food and lodging or the education of her daughter, she did not have any financial hardship, according to her brother-in-law Radhakrishna Subedi. On the contrary she saved the money she earned.
“From no angle was she in any difficulty that would force her to commit suicide. The developments following the incident lead us strongly to believe that something is amiss. We need to dig out the truth and ensure justice for the departed soul,” he said.
Insterestingly enough, police were earlier reluctant to register a complaint against the Prasains, reportedly because they are close relatives of Additional Inspector General Bhisma Prasain.
The Metropolitan Police Range office was later compelled to carry out a thorough investigation following directives from the prime minister in response to mass protests against the accused and the government.
Meanwhile, DSP BC said, "We will do whatever is within our hands for the sake of justice."
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