New Delhi: Not convinced with the investigation by the Uttar Pradesh police, the widow of a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) civil engineer, who was recently murdered at his residence in a high-security military zone in Prayagraj, has demanded a high-level probe by an independent agency.
Vatsala Mishra, the widow of S. N Mishra, Commander Works Engineers (AF), Bamrauli (Prayagraj), alleged that the murder, which took place on the intervening night of March 28 and 29, had a “calculated nature of attack.”
In a note shared by Vatsala, a copy of which is with The Wire, she made an appeal for a fair and transparent probe into her husband’s murder, which she alleged was a case of “targeted killing.”
After the incident, police arrested a 22-year old man Saurabh Kumar and his parents for the murder. Police said that Saurabh had planned a burglary at the engineer’s house to arrange funds for the bail of his brother who was lodged in a jail on murder charges. Police said that Saurabh’s father worked as a contractual labourer while his mother was involved in household work in some homes within the campus. They had allegedly helped him in the recce.
Wife says Mishra had requested for enhanced security after an earlier intrusion attempt
Mishra’s wife Vatsala, who was at home when the murder took place, was not convinced by this theory. She said the attack did not happen all of a sudden. Vatsala said that an earlier intrusion attempt had taken place on the night of March 14, when unidentified persons approached their house.
In the March 14 incident, upon being confronted by her husband, the suspects had fled the scene. Mishra subsequently alerted the relevant Air Force authorities, expressing concern for his safety and formally requested enhanced security measures.
“However, on the advice of the Air Force, he refrained from lodging a First Information Report (FIR), as they assured him that the matter would be handled internally and campus security reinforced,” said Vatsala.
On March 15, Mishra had written to the CO of the Central Air Command of the Air Force alerting them about the burglary attempt. He said that two miscreants tried to cut the mosquito net of the door of his house through a cutter. Alarmed by the noise, he woke up at around 2:30 am and inspected outside through the window of a bedroom.
Upon noticing him, the two men fled the scene, said Mishra. He said that the next morning, a shoe was found in a drain adjacent to the boundary wall close to the house. While tightening the hessian cloth on the boundary wall, a knife, pipe rod and a grill cutter were also found, he said. A plier was found near the main security wall and concertina coil was found cut and removed adjacent to a tree.
Mishra requested the CO of the CAC unit Bamrauli to inquire into the matter to nab the miscreants “so that they could not dare to repeat such incidents in future in Military area.”
Vatsala said that around 3:15 am on March 29, another intrusion occurred.
“The same or similarly motivated anti-social element rang the doorbell, attempted to cut through the door, and then strategically positioned himself outside a window – suggesting prior knowledge of my husband’s routine, possibly obtained during the earlier breach,” she said.
When Mishra went to investigate the disturbance, he was fatally shot through the window with “clear and deliberate intent,” said Vatsala.
“Most disturbingly, after committing the crime, the assailant calmly walked away from the scene without any sign of fear or urgency despite being inside a fortified military base,” she said.
‘The assailant’s actions do not reflect a motive of theft or robbery’
Talking to The Wire, Vatsala expressed doubts about the assailant’s motives. Since the family often travelled, and had recently been out of station, it was baffling that the suspected burglars would choose to break in when the family was at home instead of targeting an empty house.
“The assailant’s actions do not reflect a motive of theft or robbery. Rather, they strongly indicate a premeditated and targeted killing of the late Shri S. N. Mishra,” said Vatsala.
She said that the accused person’s spending habits did not reveal that he was in desperate need of money for bail. As Amar Ujala reported, Saurabh – the main accused – had expensive hobbies and had just a month ago purchased an iPhone worth Rs 1.5 lakh. He also loved making reels and was fond of expensive bikes, said the newspaper.
Family sources close to Mishra said that he was soon to be posted in Port Blair and his tenure in Prayagraj was to end in April. The timing of the alleged burglary and murder of an upright officer raised questions, they said. Sources said Mishra’s family also approached Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior officials in the state with their demands.
Vatsala had demanded a detailed probe into the incident.
“This heinous attack occurred while we were at home-although we are often away due to official site visits and engagements in our native village. Given the sequence of events and the calculated nature of the assault, I urgently request that the matter be re-examined through a comprehensive and impartial investigation by an Independent agency or a specially constituted team,” she said.
Akhilesh Yadav slams UP government, says law and order situation has become ‘zero’
Senior officer Ajay Pal (DIG Prayagraj), while announcing the arrests at a press conference, had said that Saurabh had delivered some furniture at the house a while back and was aware of its positioning. The house is located 8-10 metres from the boundary wall.
Pal said that Saurabh allegedly cleared the wall by climbing a tree and using a rope to jump across the other side. He tried to break open the front gate but the noise woke up Mishra.
Saurabh then allegedly went to the back side of the house and tried to open the slider window with his hand but upon noticing Mishra, who was trying to react, shot him, instantly killing the senior engineer, said the officer.
Pal said that Saurabh told the police that he broke into the house as he needed to collect money for his brother’s legal case. Police are investigating the matter further.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at the government over the murder in the high-security zone of the Air Force Officers Colony. He said the incident indicated that the law and order situation in the state had become “zero.”
“Those who were claiming that criminals had left the state, it seems that in their regime, law and order itself has been given a ‘state exile’,” said Yadav.
