Journo falls victim to honour killing

The puzzling death of Business Standard journalist Nirupama Pathak at her home in Jharkhand, first reported to be a suicide, is now believed to be a case of honour killing that was triggered by opposition from her family to the inter-caste love affair and pregnancy before marriage.

Pathak’s parents and two brothers were on Monday taken into custody for interrogation after the autopsy report contradicted all the reasons for her death they had cited before the police since she died on April 29.

Pathak, 23, was killed in the morning, according to the autopsy report, but her family informed the police in the evening. Her parents first said she was electrocuted and then insisted that she committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her bedroom.

The autopsy report said Pathak’s death was caused by “asphyxia as a result of smothering”.

The suicide theory parroted by Pathak’s family after they produced a suicide note has come into dispute because it was written both in Hindi and English and because it was believed to have been written hours after her death, police sources said.

Pathak, who was 12-weeks pregnant, is a Brahmin by caste and angered her family when she declared her love for her former collegemate and fellow journalist, Mr Priyabhanshu Ranjan, who is Kayastha by caste.