Preeti Rathi acid attack case: How Ankur Panwar was nailed in court

Preeti Rathirsquos father Amar Singh Rathi left no stone unturned in the fight for justice PicsDatta KumbharPreeti Rathirsquos parents have finally got justice for her tragic death in 2013 when her neighbour Ankur Panwar 25 flung acid on her just as she was stepping off a train at Bandra Terminus Based on clinching testimonies from several witnesses the Special Womenrsquos Court accepted the fact that he was upset that Preeti had declined his marriage proposal and instead decided to take a job in Mumbai against his wishesAnkur Panwarrsquos mother Kailash says he has been framed and only the CBI can prove his innocencePreetirsquos father Amar Singh Rathi and one of his relatives were present in court to hear the verdict As soon as Ankur was presented before the court at 1145 am he was asked to sit alone in the accusedrsquos box Judge AS Shende called his name and declared that he was convicted under Sections 302 murder and 326 B attempted acid throwing of the IPC He was however acquitted under Section 326A voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid etc of the IPCAngry outburstAfter the judge pronounced her verdict Ankur immediately stood up in anger and said ldquoMaine bola that case CBI ko de dijiye I had said that the case should go to the CBIrdquo His lawyer Apeksha Vora asked him to sit down and the judge asked the police to stand close to him to keep a watchAccording to police he had attacked Preeti because she had rejected his proposal and he was also jealous of her success While Ankur was unemployed Preeti had just got a lucrative job as a staff nurse at a naval hospital in Mumbai and his parents kept taunting him about thisAlso Read Preeti Rathis death was an honour killing alleges Ankur PanwarSpecial Public Prosecutor Nikam told the media ldquoThe accused has been remorseless He wanted to marry Preeti but when she refused his proposal he threatened her and told her not to go to Mumbai She was a young woman with a promising career and was to join the Indian Navy as a lieutenantrdquoCrucial witnessesOut of the 37 witnesses that the prosecutor examined during the trial three identified Ankur from the acid attack even though he had tied a handkerchief across his face at the time He had boarded the same train Preeti had taken to Mumbai and when she got off at Bandra Terminus he covered his face and put his hands on her shoulder As she turned to see who it was he flung acid on her Preetirsquos mouth was open and she swallowed some of the acid She suffered 1215 burns on her face neck arms and deep internal injuries in her throat She died a month later ndash a fact that the defence lawyer used during the trial claiming that it was medical negligence not the acid attack that killed Preeti However the court rejected this argumentAlthough her father aunt and uncle had accompanied her on the journey they did not see the face of the culprit But he was identified by Pankaj Malve an agent who saw him stepping out of the train Later as Ankur fled from the crime scene the handkerchief slipped from his face and he was spotted by two more witnesses ndash bottle sellers Sameer Shaikh and Salim ShaikhUnrequited loveOne of Preetirsquos close relatives ndash the wife of her cousin brother ndash also testified that Preeti had told her about Ankurrsquos proposal She told the court that she and Preeti were of the same age and would tell each other everythingRead Story Preeti Rathi acid attack case Crime Branch caught killer in his web of liesldquoPreeti had told me that once Ankur had stopped her to tell her he liked her He asked for her hand in marriage to which Preeti replied that he should first make his career and then think about marriage She told me that she had rejected his proposal and it would be insane to marry himrdquo she saidThe relative further added ldquoAround 15 to 20 days before the incident Preeti had come to our place and I asked her kya haal hai tere deewane ka How is your lovecrazed suitor to which she said kya mai pagal hu uske taraf dekhungi Am I mad that I will even look at him She also told me that Ankur asked her why she is going Mumbai and going there will not be good for herrdquoPanwar family saysMeanwhile Ankurrsquos mother has declared that she will now go on her own battle for justice and sit on a dharna outside the office of the Union minister of Home Affairs in New Delhi until a fresh investigation is initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation CBIldquoWe want the case transferred to CBI only they can give us justice We donrsquot believe in Maharashtra Police They arrested my son eight months after the attack initially they arrested somebody else in the case and later claimed my boy was involvedrdquo said Ankurrsquos mother KailashShe added ldquoI have written several times to Minister Rajnath Singh for justice but have not got any reply I am a very poor woman my husband Narayanlal is disabled and works with the Bhakra Beas Management Board Garib ke saath koi nahi hota aur har koi garibi ka majak karta hai Nobody supports poor and everybody makes fun of the poorrdquo