Uttarakhand: Man sentenced to death for killing three members of his family

Tehri (Uttarakhand): The Additional District and Sessions Judge Rama Pandey has pronounced the death sentence to a murder convict for killing his mother, brother and sister-in-law with a sword seven years ago. The court has considered the offence as the rarest of rare crimes. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000. If the convict defaults on the payment of the fine, he will have to undergo additional six months of rigorous imprisonment.

In the Tehri District Court, Assistant District Government Advocate Beni Madhav Shah said that this case dates back to December 13, 2014. Ram Singh Panwar, a resident of Gumlagaon in Gaja Tehsil, informed the Naib Tehsildar of Gaja that his son Sanjay Singh had brutally assaulted and killed his mother Meena Devi (58), brother Surendra Singh (34) and sister-in-law, Kanta Devi (25) with a sword following a minor dispute.

Kanta Devi was 12 weeks pregnant at the time of the incident. Her child died due to excessive bleeding. Ram Singh Panwar, the father of the convict, died two months later. It was based on his written statement, a case was registered at the Revenue Police Outpost, Kweli.

Police investigation and legal procedure

The police later arrested the accused Sanjay Singh along with the murder weapon, the sword from the spot. The charge sheet was filed against the accused under Sections 302, 201, and 316 of the Indian Penal Code.

The case first started in the Court of Judicial Magistrate, which handed over the trial to the Sessions Court of 10 February 2015. On Tuesday, the case was argued in the court of ADJ Rama Pandey. ADG Advocate Beni Madhav Shah also put forward several documents and 16 witnesses in the case. After hearing the arguments of both the prosecution and the defense, the court termed the offence as the "rarest of rare" and sentenced the convict to death.

What is the case:

This gruesome murder happened in Gumlagaon in Gaja Tehsil on 13 December 2014. The convict Sanjay Singh brutally hacked three members of his own family with a sword following a minor dispute.

What led to the murders:

On the morning of December 13, 2014, Sanjay's elder brother Surendra Singh had scolded him for not doing any work. Sanjay was extremely angry over his brother and decided to kill his family.

How the events unfolded:

Sanjay took out the sword kept in his house and sharpened it for a long time. Later, he reached the forest between 10 and 11 am, where his sister-in-law Kanta Devi was grazing the goats. Sanjay assaulted the 12 weeks pregnant Kanta Devi and beheaded her.

Next, Sanjay hid near his house, waiting for his brother Surendra Singh to return from work. As Surendra reached near the house, Sanjay attacked him with the same sword and killed him.

When Meena Devi, the mother of Sanjay and Surendra heard about the news, rushed to the spot. Sanjay killed his mother also in a fit of rage.

Sanjay's father, Ram Singh Panwar was in a local market and escaped the assault. He later informed the police about his son's brutal act. The poor and heartbroken man died two months later.

Police action and some more drama:

Sanjay Singh after killing three members of his family locked himself in the room with his father's licensed pistol and the sword. The Tehri police reached the spot and asked him to surrender. However, Sanjay refused to come out of his room and threatened to shoot. This drama continued throughout the day.

The police made every possible effort to get him to surrender but the murderer refused to surrender. Finally, at night, the police pumped tear gas into the room, following which Sanjay Singh surrendered. The police found the murder weapon as well.

Later, Sanjay Singh's father, Ram Singh Panwar filed a police complaint. Unfortunately, he died after two months after the incident. The convict Sanjay Singh has been sentenced to death today Additional District and Sessions Judge Rama Pandey.