Betul court convicts 6 people in 2014 honour killing case:Father and 5 other sentenced to life for strangling daughter, burning her body

In a shocking honour killing case dating back to 2014, a Betul court sentenced six family members, including the father, to life imprisonment on Monday. The case revolves around the death of 14-year-old Kanchan Kushwah, whose body was discovered in a burnt condition inside the bathroom of her maternal uncle’s house in Pathakheda. The bathroom door was not locked from the inside. Initially, the family claimed it was a suicide. However, the post-mortem revealed that Kanchan, a 9th class student, had been strangled to death. Charges: Murder and concealment of evidence According to the Public Prosecutor Govardhan Suryavanshi, the court of the First Additional Sessions Judge concluded the trial. The convicted include Kanchan’s father, Surendra Prasad Kushwah, grandmother Geeta Kushwah, uncle Jogendra; and other relatives, Deepak Singh with his wife, Radhika, Omprakash, and Laxman. They were charged with murder and concealing evidence. The court sentenced them under Section 302 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code to life imprisonment, along with a seven-year jail term and fine under Section 201 for destroying evidence. Investigation: Witness statements confirm family Involvement No eyewitnesses were present during the incident. Police recorded statements from 70 neighbors, which confirmed that no outsiders had entered the house on the day of the murder. Following the investigation, Kanchan’s uncle Jogendra, her father Surendra, and other family members were accused. A total of seven individuals were implicated; the main accused, Jogendra, died during the trial, while another accused, Anuradha, was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Cause of death: Strangulation, body burnt to hide evidence Investigating officer Surendra Nath Yadav revealed that the post-mortem confirmed Kanchan’s death was caused by strangulation. The family later attempted to destroy evidence by setting her body on fire. Initially, the family had denied these allegations during preliminary investigations. Case compared to Aarushi-Hemraj murder The case attracted significant attention due to its complexity and long-drawn legal proceedings, drawing comparisons to the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case. The investigating officer stated that the family had even approached the High Court alleging police misconduct during the investigation.