RAJKOT: A 22-year-old man was allegedly murdered by his parents in Gujarat’s Rajkot district after frequent disputes over his drinking, with a forensic postmortem overturning the family’s claim that he had died by suicide after consuming acid.
The victim, Ram Bambhava, was allegedly forced to drink acid by his mother, Manisha alias Moti Bambhava (45), before being strangled by his father, Babu alias Atul Bambhava (47), on June 30, according to an FIR lodged by his 20-year-old wife, Bansi.
Based on her complaint, Gondal Taluka police registered a murder case against the couple and arrested both of them.
According to the FIR, Bansi had married Ram five months ago. She alleged that her husband frequently returned home intoxicated and often quarrelled with his father.
On June 29, the couple visited her parental home, where Ram allegedly got drunk and argued with her father. Bansi’s father then contacted Ram’s father and asked him to take his son home.
The following day, while Bansi was still at her parents’ residence, she was informed that Ram had died after allegedly consuming acid. However, after the funeral, relatives from her husband’s family reportedly told her that Ram had returned home drunk on June 30 and got into another altercation with his father.
During the confrontation, Bansi alleged, her mother-in-law forced acid down Ram’s throat. When he began struggling, his father allegedly gagged and strangled him to death.
She further alleged that her in-laws warned her not to disclose the incident, claiming it would bring shame to the family.
Rajkot Superintendent of Police Vijay Singh Gurjar said the circumstances surrounding the death raised suspicion, prompting police to order a forensic postmortem.
“The examination revealed strangulation marks on the victim’s neck and confirmed that the cause of death was strangulation, not acid consumption. The victim’s wife’s statement also corroborated these findings,” Gurjar said.
Investigating officer U.R. Damor said the accused were arrested on July 2 and produced before a court on July 3. Police have seized the bottle of acid allegedly used in the incident, the clothes worn by the accused, and a bedsheet stained with the victim’s vomit as part of the investigation.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Ram was unemployed and looking for work, while his father operated a tea stall.
