Talwar's family wants CBI to probe Arushi murder

FATHER AND CHILD: Dr Rajesh Talwar alleges the UP police is framing him for the murder.

    

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

Maharaj or Dada, Ganguly's legacy lives on

Featured Slideshows

New Delhi: The family of Dr Rajesh Talwar, the dentist who is accused of murdering his teenage daughter and domestic help, has demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) take over the probe.

Talwar was arrested on May 23 and is accused of murdering his daughter Arushi, 14, and family help Hemraj, 45, on May 16 at his home in Noida.

The Uttar Pradesh Police allege Arushi, a Class 9 student of Delhi Public School in Noida, had been "discussing Talwar’s (alleged) extra-marital affairs with her friends".

According to the police, Talwar was also angry at the "relationship between Arushi and their domestic help, Hemraj".

Talwar’s lawyer Pinaki Misra on Tuesday told a press conference that there were several shortcomings in the Uttar Pradesh police’s probe and his client was being made a “scapegoat” in the murders.

"Rajesh Talwar has been condemned to police custody for three days—we fear for his health," said Misra.

“The police are using Talwar as a scapegoat. The Talwar family wants the CBI to investigate the case, as they want an impartial investigation," he said.

Misra wanted Talwar to be put under the CBI’s custody, as he feared that he would not be safe with the Uttar Pradesh police.

The doctor’s brother, Dinesh, said his family wanted the CBI to take over the case.

A Noida court on Tuesday sent Talwar to three days' police custody by a even as he claimed innocence and apprehended that police could frame him.

Arushi’s friend and classmates on Tuesday took out a protest march in Noida demanding justice for her and lighting candles for her soul's peace.

Reacting strongly to the allegations made by the police against Arushi and the tainting of her character, her friends said that they would fight for justice for their friend.

"On what basis are the police officials saying these things about Arushi? How can they say that she was "objectionably" close to the domestic help (Hemraj)?" cried out one of the young girls during the protest.

Carrying banners reading "Justice for Arushi" and "We miss you Arushi", the protesters said it was unfair on the part of police to question the character of a girl who was no longer there to defend herself.

"This kind of character assassination is just not done," said Vaibhav Sharma, one of the young protestors.

Lighting a candle in front of a huge picture of a smiling Arushi, Sharma said people should be considerate toward her family and friends' feelings before they said anything about her.

"If nothing else, please be considerate enough to Arushi's friends and close ones who haven't been able to get over her death and now have to deal with all kinds of false allegations about her character," he added.

(With inputs from IANS)