Family refuse to cremate body even after four months

PATHIYOOR (ALAPUZHA), APRIL 30: Even four months after 19-year-old Arya Somarajan died under suspicious circumstances in her hostel at Ba...

PATHIYOOR (ALAPUZHA), APRIL 30: Even four months after 19-year-old Arya Somarajan died under suspicious circumstances in her hostel at Bangalore, her family has refused to cremate the body until a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe was ordered into the causes of her death.

Arya’s family was informed by the college authorities on Dec 31 last that she died when a stove burst in her hostel canteen and she succumbed to burn injuries. However, when police found some loopholes in the version, the authorities allegedly changed their version and said Arya had committed suicide, her father, Somarajan told newsmen.

The partially burnt body of Arya, a second year student of Rajiv Gandhi College of Dental Sciences, Bangalore, has been kept at the mortuary of a private hospital at Kayamkulam since Jan 8 this year, he said, adding that the family had already spent about Rs 48,000 towards mortuary expenses alone.

Story continues below this ad

Somarajan, who was working in Saudi Arabia, has given up thoughts of returning to the Gulf and ismaking all efforts to bring the guilty to book. He has moved the Karnataka High Court seeking a CBI probe into his daughter’s death.

He said the High Court had directed the state Crime Branch to continue the investigation and submit report to the court by April 16. However, no report had been submitted so far, Somarajan said and added that, if need be, he would move the Supreme Court seeking CBI investigation into his daughter’s death.

According to Somarajan the college authorities were influential people and only a CBI probe could bring the guilty to book. The college chairman and his son were arrested but later they were let off on bail, he said.

Two postmortem reports conducted at Bangalore and in Kerala have stated that the death was due to burns. However, Somarajan says that the postmortem done at Bangalore was manipulated’.

Story continues below this ad

He said the body was partially burnt on the right side with the hair intact and tongue protruding and suspected that Arya was done to death and her body burnt to show thatshe had allegedly committed suicide.

However, the distraught father, despite his dwindling financial resources, is firm that he will not cremate his daughter’s body until a CBI probe was ordered.