The family of Ketan Agarwal, who allegedly died after being pushed from Lohagad Fort near Pune last month, on Sunday demanded the strictest punishment for the accused after the victim's grandfather died, with relatives claiming he never recovered from the shock of his grandson's death.
According to the family, Devichand Agarwal, 71, died of cardiac arrest on Saturday night after his health deteriorated following Ketan Agarwal's death on June 18.
"My father was so devastated by the passing of my nephew, Ketan Vishal Agarwal, that he didn't tell anyone about it for 13 days, not until all the funeral rites were completed. His health deteriorated rapidly after that, and he passed away last night at 9:45 PM," Ketan's uncle, Kuldeep Agarwal, said.
"The shock of this incident was so profound, beyond anything we could imagine. We lost two family members within a span of 17 days. My only prayer, and it was also my father's wish, is that the government and the Chief Minister ensure the perpetrators receive the strictest punishment, specifically the death penalty by hanging... so that his soul may find peace," he added.
Ketan Agarwal died after falling from Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18, following which the police registered a murder case.
Investigators from the Lonavala Rural Police suspect that the prime accused, Siya Goyal, who was engaged to Agarwal, was unwilling to marry at this stage of her life and was allegedly under pressure from her family to go ahead with the marriage.
As part of the investigation, Pune Rural Police on Thursday took Goyal to an open ground in Lullanagar, where she and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary allegedly rehearsed the plan to push Agarwal from Lohagad Fort. Police also recovered clothes that Goyal was allegedly wearing on the day of the incident from her residence.
Earlier, investigators had taken Chaudhary to Lohagad Fort to recreate the alleged crime scene using a dummy matching the victim's weight to reconstruct how the incident was believed to have unfolded.
Meanwhile, Goyal's father, Praveen Goyal, said police officials visited their residence but did not question him.
"The police had come to the house today, but I did not meet anyone. They did their work and were here for around 30-45 minutes. The doctor has advised me to rest. My health is down. I do not want to speak about this case. I do not have the strength for it. The police did not ask me anything," he said.
Also read: Pune murder: Father urges Lohagad witnesses to come forward
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