New Delhi: Five months after 21-year-old Nikita Tomar was shot dead outside her college by a former schoolmate, a fast-track court in Haryana’s Faridabad Wednesday convicted prime accused Tauseef and his aide Rehan. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on 26 March.
The 21-year-old was shot dead by the main accused after she refused to marry him and convert to Islam, according to the police. A viral CCTV footage of the incident shows the two accused first try to abduct her and then shoot her when she resisted.
While Tauseef and Rehan were pronounced guilty on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, Tauseef was also convicted under the Arms Act. His uncle Mohammad Azruddin, who was accused of supplying the weapon of offence, was however acquitted.
Speaking to ThePrint, Nikita’s elder brother Naveen Tomar said: “We feel relieved that the court has convicted Tauseef and Rehan but my sister will get justice only if the court awards death penalty. These five months have been extremely difficult for us, my parents cry every day.”
He added: “For men like Tauseef, this should be a lesson, that they can’t get away with harassing women, forcing them for marriage and then murdering them.”
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‘Love jihad’ allegations
Tauseef and Rehan were waiting for her in a car outside Aggarwal College in Faridabad, where she had gone to write her B.Com exams. After shooting her, the accused fled the spot and were on their way to Mewat before being arrested.
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij had set up a special investigation team (SIT) led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Crime, Anil Kumar to probe the case.
Nikita Tomar’s family accused Tauseef of “love jihad” attempts, allegations of which had been refuted by the accused’s family. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime saying he killed her because she was planning to marry someone else.
In 2018, Tauseef had allegedly kidnapped Nikita but her parents withdrew the complaint after his family assured that it wouldn’t happen again.
The Faridabad police filed a 700-page charge sheet in the case on 6 November — in a record time of 11 days. The charge sheet included 60 witness accounts under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage), and relevant provisions of the Arms Act.
Tauseef and Nikita had studied together at Rawal International School in Faridabad. He comes from a family of landlords and politicians, with a long history of ties with the Congress party.
He was enrolled in a physiotherapy course in Gurugram while Nikita was in her final year of BCom.
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As a natural principle of justice, death should be awarded for causing death of young girl.