Assam: ‘Boyfriend’ Govind gets death in Shweta Agarwal murder case

Guwahati: In a significant development, a fast-track court of the district and sessions judge, Kamrup (Metro) in Guwahati, Assam on Saturday awarded death sentence to prime accused Govind Singhal and life imprisonment to his mother Kamla Devi Singhal and sister Bhawani Singhal in the sensational Shweta Agarwal murder case of 2017.

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.

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.

The court found all the three members of the family guilty under Section 302 along with other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Earlier, the court convicted the three accused in the sensational murder case of 2017. Those convicted included Shweta’s “boyfriend” Govind Singhal, his mother Kamla Devi Singhal and his sister Bhawani Singhal.

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Shweta, a B Com student of KC Das Commerce College and a rank-holder in the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) examination (commerce), was found killed in her “boyfriend’s” house in Bharalumukh in Guwahati on December 4, 2017.

After being arrested, Govind had confessed to the crime and divulged how he even tried to dump the body by putting it in a gunny bag. Unable to do so, he then decided to burn the body in his house so that her death could be projected as a case of suicide.

The accused had told the police that he and Shweta had a heated argument over their relationship on that fateful day. In a fit of anger, he banged Shweta’s head against the wall, which eventually led to her death. His mother and sister too allegedly helped him in the cover-up exercise.

All the three accused were present in the court when the judgement was pronounced on Saturday. Altogether, 22 witnesses were examined during the course of the trial which began in May 2018.