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Son in jail for killing wife, parents take fight to Jaipur

The victim’s parents had filed a case of dowry death against Oma Ram and Teja Ram.

Five months after the charred body of a 23-year-old Dalit woman was found near Dediya village in Phalodi district, 150 km from Jodhpur, her in-laws are fighting to free their son who, they claim, has been wrongly implicated in the case.

They allege the deceased was sexually exploited by three upper caste men from a neighbouring village when her husband Oma Ram and father-in-law Teja Ram were away at work.

The family has been holding a demonstration since May outside the Jodhpur collectorate seeking a fair probe and the release of Oma Ram, who has been found guilty of dowry harassment and murder.

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“When my son and I were away, three Rajput boys used to forcibly enter our house and sexually exploit our daughter-in-law in front of my wife, daughter and younger son, all of whom are mentally challenged. We threatened to report the matter. Soon, we found our daughter-in-law charred near the village,” Teja Ram, who was in the state capital to meet police officials on Friday, said.

The victim’s parents had filed a case of dowry death against Oma Ram and Teja Ram. A police investigation substantiated the allegations and Oma Ram was arrested on February 10. In May, however, Teja Ram filed a complaint alleging his son was wrongly implicated and accused the three upper caste men, Tej Singh, Kavraj Singh and Manohar Singh.

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Tulsi Das, state convenor of Dalit Rights Network, said, “We have written to the National Human Rights Commission demanding a CBI inquiry. There was no reason for Oma Ram to have murdered his wife.”

IG Jodhpur Range Sunil Dutt, meanwhile, claimed, “We have already ordered a reprobe and handed the investigation to a Dalit officer. Call records of deceased show she was in regular touch with three Rajput boys who had given her a phone. We have learnt that this was the point of altercation between her and Oma Ram. Also, her parents alleged she was physically abused and sent back over dowry. We found that on the day her body was found, the three boys were elsewhere while Oma Ram had escorted her. We are open to exploring other angles but there is no evidence in support of Oma Ram.”

First uploaded on: 12-07-2014 at 03:09 IST
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