Ketan Agarwal 'murder': Probe deepens as state fast-tracks trial, families demand justice

The investigation into the alleged murder of 26-year-old Ketan Agarwal at Pune's Lohagad Fort gathered significant momentum on Friday as Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a fast-track trial and appointed senior advocate and Rajya Sabha member Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor in the case.  

As police prepared to recreate the crime scene and intensified their probe by questioning key witnesses, both the victim's and the prime accused's families made emotional appeals for justice. 

Ketan's father, Vishal Agarwal, dismissed reports that his son's use of a hair patch could have been a motive for the killing, insisting the accused's family was already aware of it, while Siya Goyal's parents said their daughter should face the harshest punishment if found guilty. 

Describing the alleged crime as not merely a criminal act but a disturbing social issue, Fadnavis called for introspection into why educated youth from affluent families were increasingly developing a "vengeful and distorted mindset".

Police allege that Ketan Agarwal was pushed off a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18 by his fiancee, Siya Goyal, and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, after the duo conspired to eliminate him because she no longer wanted to go ahead with the marriage scheduled for November. Investigators are now set to recreate the crime scene using a dummy body to establish the sequence of events, while relying heavily on circumstantial evidence in the absence of eyewitnesses. Seven people have been questioned so far, including an employee whose mobile phone was allegedly used by Chaudhary to communicate with Goyal on the day of the incident.

Meeting Ketan's father in Pune, Fadnavis assured the family that the state would spare no effort in securing justice and accepted their demand for a fast-track trial. Following the meeting, the government approved the appointment of veteran prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam to lead the prosecution. Ketan's father also demanded the death penalty for the accused and said he had been informed that a Special Investigation Team had been constituted to probe the case.

Rejecting speculation that his son's use of a hair patch triggered the alleged crime, Vishal Agarwal said Goyal and her family had known about it well before the engagement. "If she did not want to marry him, she could have simply refused," he said, while disputing claims that his son had insisted on trekking, maintaining that she had wanted to visit the fort.

In a rare public statement, Siya Goyal's parents expressed grief over Ketan's death and extended condolences to his family. While describing the tragedy as one that had destroyed two families, they maintained that if their daughter was found guilty, she deserved the strictest punishment under the law. Goyal's lawyer, meanwhile, said she was cooperating with investigators and that her vakalatnama would be filed before the court shortly.

Picture Courtesy: IANS