Boyfriend gets death for Assam student’s murder

Almost two years after a college student was murdered, her boyfriend was sentenced to death by a fast-track court of the district and sessions judge, Kamrup (Metro) in Guwahati on Saturday.

The charred body of Shweta Agarwal, a bright college student, was found in the bathroom of her boyfriend Govind Singhal’s home in December 2017. The boyfriend’s mother and sister were also sentenced to life in jail.

Soon after the judgement was delivered by Judge Aparesh Chakraborty, the convict, Govind Singhal, almost fainted in the court. Later, he was carried away by security personnel from the court premises.

According to the chargesheet, the student had visited Singhal’s rented home in Guwahati on December 4, 2017. The couple quarrelled over the issue of the two getting married. Convict Singhal then smashed her head on a wall. She screamed and fell down, unconscious. After this, the man, his mother and sister set Shweta Agarwal’s body on fire.

Convict Govind Singhal and his family tried to show Shweta Agarwal’s murder as a case of suicide.

The sentencing came after Govind Singhal and his family were found guilty of murder, tampering with evidence and criminal conspiracy by a Guwahati court on July 30.

Meanwhile, deceased Shweta Agarwal’s father and other relatives have expressed satisfaction over the verdict and also thanked the media and other civil society members for supporting the bereaved family members during the two-year-long legal battle. Parents of the victim said that they were feeling content that their child was finally given justice by the court.

Shweta Agarwal was the state topper in Class 12 in the commerce stream in 2015. At the time of her murder, she was doing her under-graduation in commerce from Guwahati’s KC Das Commerce College.

The incident had rocked the civil society, which not only came out in protest but also forced the government to set up a fast-track court for speedy trial of the case.