The Press Conference at Hindi Bhawan Auditorium, Delhi today i.e. 25th August 2008 on the eve of Women Equality Day on 26^th August, was a success.

It was attended by Times of India, Nababharat Times, DNA, Rashtriya Sahara, Desbandhu etc etc amongst others beside the electronic Media AajTak.  

In spite of it being a working day, we got a strength of around 40 which is considered very good for a Press Conference held during normal office hours.

The Press Conference started with the welcome address by Uma Challa, President of All India Forgotten Women, over the phone from Hyderabad. Sandeep, President of GHRS anchored the event, where as Neeraj took the main lead in arranging all the other logistics.

As Dr Anupama got stuck in an emergency case and was a little late, Ms Preeti representing All India Forgotten Women, handled the event superbly.

Special visiting cards were printed for Uma as President of AIFW, Ms. Saroj Rani as MASI Secretary, Preeti Chauhan for AIFW, Arvind of PIFF besides Dr Anupama as President of MASI, for introduction to the Media.

Ms. Preeti explained the RTI reply we received on CrPC 125. Sureshram of SIF Chennai showed the latest Chennai HC order on the misuse of 498a. Adv Karan Bir Singh, himself a victim, spoke on Perjury. Dr Anupama spoke on MASI’s experience with WCD on the review meetings on Women Protection Laws. Ms Saroj Rani spoke on the misuse aspect. Sandeep, summarized the event.

Neeraj, Wasif, Komal, Prof Sahab, Sattu, Jeetu, Pradeep Niwani, Jogeshswarji (I am sure I am missing plenty of others) were all greeting the media and assisting the event. Ricks (Bangalore) father, Gyanesh Purohit’s (Hyderabad) father, Jerry Woods both aged parents and plenty other senior citizens attended the event.

B K Mishra translated the Press Release into Hindi.

An added attraction was the presence of the SIF Chennai members like Kalai and Manoj who had come to Delhi all the way from Tamil Nadu along with Sureshram to attend the meetings with Dr. Kiran Chaddha, Jt Secretary, WCD on the review of misuse of Women Protection Laws.

And the link to the photos :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29896622@N06/?saved=1

Mothers and Sisters Initiative – MASI (Regd.) & All India Forgotten Women (Regd.) cordially invites you to a Press Conference on the eve of
Women Equality Day: 26th August ‘08

TIMING: Delhi, 25th August 2008, 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM Question & Answers Session, followed by Tea. Press can also join by call conference at 9899329991 (5 lines).Press conferences also at Mumbai, Bangalore (25th) & Indore (26th)

Is NCW openly lying to the media on statistics? Latest RTI exposes it All.
Proof would be given to the media

As per National Crime Records Bureau, more then 1.2 lac women were
Arrested without any evidence, trial or investigation in last 4 years only
Is it “Women Equality” or a National Shame!!

Women NGOs demand the resignation of WCD Minister Renuka Chowdhury & Chairperson of NCW Girija Vyas for miserably failing to protect Innocent Women

Is throwing Senior citizens out of their own homes in PWDVA ‘Women Empowerment’?

Is the pain of a mother who lost a son to domestic abuse or legal terrorism
any less than that of a mother who lost a daughter?

MASI and GHRS members will also share their experience & proposals given in one to one meetings with WCD to reduce misuse of women protection laws in August ‘08

LOCATION: Hindi Bhawan Auditorium, 2nd Floor, 11, Vishnu Digambar Marg, (Rose Avenue) Near Bal Bhawan, walking distance from ITO red light , New Delhi-110002.

Contact: 9810452017 (Dr. Anupama), 9871134040 (Preeti), 09704683163 (Uma)
9810611534(Swarup),9971117829(Sandeep),9818332305(Neeraj), 9811052770 (Niladri)

Supported by: www.masi-india.org , All India Forgotten Women, www.savefamily.org , www.saveindianfamily.org , www.ghrs.in , www.protectindianfamily.org , www.mynation.net

Press Release on 25^th August, on the Eve of Women’s Equality Day on 26^th August 2008 byMothers and Sisters Initiative – MASI (Regd.) and All India Forgotten Women (Regd.) 

Women’s empowerment and gender equality are two of the oft-repeated phrases today. It is sad enough that there are many who take great pride in wearing these labels while remaining completely oblivious of their true import. What is worse is that radical women’s groups and vested interests have successfully subverted the real meaning and purpose of women’s empowerment and gender equality and are promoting discrimination, injustice and serious human rights abuses in the name of women’s rights.  On the eve of Women’s Equality Day, 26^th August, 2008, members of Mothers and Sisters Initiative (MASI) and All India Forgotten Women (AIFW) highlight how various discriminatory laws claiming to empower and protect women are serving as weapons that promote family destruction and perpetrate large scale human rights abuses against men, women and children.  Data from the National Crime Records Bureau indicates that every year, over 1 lakh innocent persons (one innocent person every 5 minutes) are arrested under IPC Section 498A. Every year, close to 30,000 innocent women (one innocent woman every 20 minutes) and 4,000 innocent senior citizens (one innocent elderly person every 2.5 hours) are arrested under IPC Section 498A. Every year close to 350 children (one child per day) are arrested under IPC Section 498A.  

Is allowing arrests of innocent citizens and treating them as “guilty until proven innocent” a measure to promote Women’s Equality? 

At present, unnatural death of a woman within seven years of her marriage is considered as dowry death, attracting punishment to the accused husband and relatives under IPC Section 304(B). While the current seven year rule and the automatic presumption of “dowry death” is in itself absurd, the National Commission for Women (NCW) is now pressuring the Government to broaden the scope of Dowry Prohibition Act so that unnatural death of a woman at ANY stage of her marriage qualifies as dowry death. While every death of a young married woman is converted into a case of dowry death leading to immediate arrest of the husband and in-laws, large-scale suicides of men do not cause any outrage. While husbands and their relatives are under constant suspicion leading to frequent violation of their basic human rights, wives are rarely ever questioned leave alone prosecuted if a husband dies or ends his life under similar circumstances.  

Is this outright discrimination against men and their families a means to promote Women’s Equality? 

The Domestic Violence Act claims to protect women from physical, verbal, emotional, sexual and economical abuse. According to the law an aggrieved person is always a woman and the aggressor is always a man. Thus, the law only recognizes domestic violence committed by a man on a woman. While this law is heavily biased against men, there are many gross inconsistencies in the law, which prove that the DV Act is not good for women either. The DV Act allows legally wedded women, divorced women and girlfriends (former or present) to subject a man and his relatives to domestic violence and legal harassment.  The law also allows a daughter-in-law to evict the husband along with his dependent mother, father, brothers and sisters from their own property.  

Does providing a woman the ability to have a man stripped of his possessions and kicked out of his house along with his family members (on the mere basis of her accusation of domestic violence) qualify as Women’s Equality? 

CrPC 125 is a Criminal Section which is biased towards women. Under this section, any legally married woman who cannot sustain life on her own can legally claim maintenance from the husband, while an impoverished husband cannot claim maintenance from his gainfully-employed wife. It is a well-known fact that a large proportion of women who are well educated, employed or qualified enough to find gainful employment are approaching courts to demand maintenance from the husband. Such women also simultaneously entangle the husband and his family in false criminal cases under Section 498A and Dowry Prohibition Act. They also use civil provisions like the Domestic Violence Act and Section 24 of Hindu Marriage Act (in addition to CrPC 125) to demand maintenance from the husband. NCW is now pushing for providing maintenance not only to legally wedded/separated/divorced wives but also to female live-in partners. Another major amendment sought by NCW in Section 125 of CrPC is that women who have violated the sanctity and the legal contract of marriage by committing adultery should be considered as victims and also provided maintenance.  

Does allowing women to treat men as ATM (Any Time Machines) and encouraging them to lead a parasitic life qualify as Women’s Equality? 

Women also misuse legal provisions to alienate children from fathers when marriages break down. Many fathers suffer immensely due to separation from their children and many children are deprived of access to fatherly love and care.  

Is misuse of the judicial process to violate a child’s right to both parents a symbol of Women’s Equality? 

Many representations have been made to the Ministry of Women and Child Development to correct the laws and to make them gender neutral in the interest of equality, fairness and justice to men and women. Requests have been made to include gender neutral, family friendly organizations like Mothers and Sisters Initiative (MASI) and All India Forgotten Women (AIFW) in the discussion, draft and review of laws related to women. While the Ministry of Women and Child Development, in its Round Table Conference conducted on 25 June 2008, admitted that the present pro-women laws are being grossly misused, no measures have been taken to curb the large scale misuse of the laws and the ensuing human rights abuses.

NCW is trivializing the extent of misuse of these laws by women and is exaggerating statistics of dowry harassment, dowry death and domestic abuse in order to attract funds from foreign agencies like UNIFEM and USAID and to push for more stringent legal provisions. NCW has blatantly denied any help to innocent mothers and sisters who have been falsely accused and harassed under IPC Section 498A and Section 304(B). NCW is pressuring the Government to ignore any recommendations to amend IPC Section 498A and Domestic Violence Act which might make the provisions gender neutral and less prone to misuse.

NCW is denying domestic abuse against our fathers, brothers and sons and refusing protection to husbands and their male and female relatives from abusive wives.  As a result, twice as many married men, compared to women, are committing suicide every year unable to endure physical, emotional, verbal and economic abuse and legal harassment.

Is the pain of a mother who lost a son to domestic abuse or legal terrorism any less than that of a mother who lost a daughter? How many more mothers and sisters should lose their sons and brothers before measures are taken to alleviate their sufferings?

Aren’t mothers and sisters women? Don’t they deserve a life of dignity and respect?

Does penalizing innocent mothers and sisters under false cases bring justice to genuinely abused women?

Does women’s empowerment mean destroying family harmony and creating a fatherless society?

Is protection of women’s rights synonymous with gross violation of basic human rights?

Is legal terrorism the solution to all women’s problems?

These are the questions we have posed time and again to the National Commission for Women and the Ministry of Women and Child Development, while they conveniently ignore and divert attention from these very pertinent and pressing issues.

On the occasion of Women’s Equality Day, we the members of MASI and AIFW make the following demands:

1. Mrs. Renuka Chowdhury should resign from the position of Minister for Women and Child Development, and Girija Vyas should be removed as the Chairperson of NCW, both for having miserably failed to protect innocent citizens, especially women, children and elders, from being arrested without trial/investigation in cases filed under Section 498A IPC and Section 304(B).
2. Grievances of mothers and sisters who are falsely accused and harassed under IPC Section 498A, Dowry Prohibition Act, Section 304(B) and Domestic Violence Act must be heard and redressed by State Women Commissions as well as National Commission for Women and the Women and Child Development Ministry.
3. No arrests of any of the accused (man, woman or child) should be made without proper investigation and written approval of police officials of the rank of DCP or above.
4. Persons filing false cases should be severely punished for misusing the judicial process and blocking the path of justice for genuine victims. The State should initiate prosecution suo motu against those found to be misusing laws to settle personal scores.
5. All civil and criminal laws should be made applicable to men and women equally. Specifically, provisions of IPC 498A, Domestic Violence Act, adultery laws, laws against rape and sexual harassment and family laws (divorce, maintenance and child custody) should be made gender-neutral.
6. Equal protection should be given to men and women against verbal, emotional, economic, physical and sexual abuse at home and in the work place.
7. Family friendly, gender neutral organizations like MASI and AIFW should be included in every discussion, draft and review committee on laws related to women.

Media may also join the Press Conference through call conference facility on 98993 29991 (5 lines)Mothers and Sisters Initiative – MASI (Regd.) & All India Forgotten Women (Regd.) cordially invites you to a Press Conference the eve of Women Equality Day on 25th August 2008 at 3:00 PM at Hindi Bhawan Auditorium, 2nd Floor, 11, Vishnu Digambar Marg, (Rose Avenue) Near Bal Bhawan, ITO, New Delhi-110002.

Click here for more Photos >> 

NAGPUR DHARNA on 27th July 2008

Nagpur SIFF Chapter organized a DHARNA for the demand of MEN WELFARE MINISTRY & stop Misuse of 498(A) and D.V. Act (2006)
with immediate amendment in the above law so that the dream come to true of the mission & vision 2020, that our country should became a powerful country in the world by 2020 said by our honorable ex President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.of India (Bharat Desh).

Please support Nagpur SIFF Chapter by visiting NAGPUR DHARNA on 27th July 2008.

Supported by
Protect India Family,- Mumbai
CRIPS,
AshaKiran, - Bengaluru.
MyNation,
RAKSHAK,
SFF New Delhi, and other associate across the India.

RAJESH WAKHARIYA

9890974788
Nagpur Chapter & his team

For more Details / contact Numbers
Visit http://mynation.net/contact-us/
For more news Visit Here

New Delhi: A monthly newsletter — Indian Family Times — that has taken up a fight against the anti-dowry law on the internet, has invited contributors to post pictures and profiles of women who have “misused” the law to lodge false dowry cases against men. 

   The online newsletter, started this month, has also hailed Delhi Police commissioner Y S Dadwal as a “true patriot” while calling women and child development minister Renuka Choudhary a “pinhead”. 

   Terming IPC 498A or the anti-dowry law as “legal terrorism” — that was introduced with good intentions but has been plagued by bad execution — the newsletter claims that it will highlight the harrowing tales of victims who have fallen prey to the misuse. 

   This comes close on the heels of a consultation by the WCD ministry on the issue following criticism against the Dowry Prohibition Act and the Domestic Violence Act. 

   ”The law is being used by unethical and immoral women and their families to harass the husband’s family, humiliate them to accept their improper and illegal demands, and extort money,” the newsletter said. The e-zine has a “hall of shame” that includes a woman’s name, address, educational qualifications and her family details warning prospective “grooms” to keep away. Its “success story” has details of a man who has been successful in escaping the “trap”. 

   The publication lauds Dadwal for issuing standing instructions that no arrests except for the husband’s be made in 498A cases without the permission of the DCP. Referring to WCD minister Renuka Choudhary, the newsletter says that “for her actions against the Indian family and her crazy comments, Ms Choudhary is a pinhead”. 

   Reacting sharply to the remarks, Choudhary said, “This is classic male behaviour. I really pity these men… this is no way to change the system.” Referring to the newsletter’s move to include women’s profiles and pictures, Choudhary added, “It is a democracy and they are free to do what they want but it is an unfortunate thing that they want to put up women’s pictures like this. Do we have to upload pictures of dead wives and sisters to make our point?”

Another angle Discussing differences without malice may help resolve them

In a televised Pune rally, Financial Analyst Dhaval Kadakia claimed his wife hit him if he refused to do household chores. Salim Bootwala, an entrepreneur said, “I divorced my wife in 1997. In 2006 she filed a case of dowry against me. The judge did not hear my case nor lookat the documents. On the basis of her complaint, I was sent to jail for four days.” P.R. Gokul wrote, “I am the victim, we are being harassed, you need to know the oppressors to believe me.”

In an ego-shattering exercise, “harassed husbands” are out “demanding justice”. Their main enemy is not the wife, not her greedy parents or conniving relatives. It is the legally recognised, constitutionally valid “monster” called Section 498A, IPC. Why? “Section 498A is the most vicious weapon in the hands of those who decide to be vindictive,” said Kalpana Murari, a divorce lawyer. “Under the Dowry Prohibition Act, the wife, relative of the victim or a welfare organisation could lodge a complaint against the husband and his family. This could put the family behind bars for 15 days.” The burden of proving his innocence is on the accused.

How these men fight is a lesson in “approach strategy”. They write blogs. They start websites and message boards. They have a forum. They hold meetings, training sessions and rallies. They go to the media. They listen, educate and inform. They send out fliers. They’ve set up helplines, use the RTI to gather information on convictions. They provide legal assistance. And they quote the Sushil Kumar Sharma vs Union of India case.

Supreme Court judges deciding this case felt 498A was being misused, “giving license to the unscrupulous to unleash harassment and wreak personal vendetta.” They said, “The provision was intended to be used as a shield and not as an assassin’s weapon.” In such cases, acquittal did not “wipe out the ignominy suffered during or prior to the trial.” The court asked legislatures to find ways to deal with the misuse, and the investigating agencies to function as “a watchdog and not as a bloodhound.”

“No investigation or warrant is needed before arrest and start of proceedings since the crime u/s 498A is cognisable and there is no punishment if the complaint is proved false - two major reasons why 498A is used as a pressure-tactic,” said P.R. Gokul who heads a Yahoo group of “victims-of-law” that calls itself SIFF (Save Indian Family Foundation). “Now SIFF is a registered entity, with a membership of over 50,000 people and over 20 NGOs,” he said.

Raksha, a Hyderabad-based outfit counsels men who consider suicide as an alternative for a bad relationship. “A lot of married men are desperate for help,” said Raksha president C.V.L. Narasimha Rao in an interview. Amitabh Das Gupta, President, Pune Chapter of Protect Indian Family Foundation wants “the existing laws amended to give enough powers to men.”

Not likely to happen soon. “Change this law? No way!” said lawyer Sudha Ramalingam firmly. “Section 498A came after a great battle to protect women battered within the walls of her husband’s home. Subjecting a wife to cruelty was not seen as injustice. Now bringing the culprits to book is unjust or a means of breaking the family!” She dismisses the argument of an innocent husband and his relatives being harassed by the abuse of this law as exaggeration. “Only after a preliminary inquiry is a prima-facie case made, FIR registered and the law set in motion. There are provisions for seeking anticipatory bail and proving their innocence to get acquitted.”

S. 498A is a handy tool for shady practices, men argue. Among them are [1] Pre-marital affairs. Marry the guy of parents’ choice, dissolve the marriage, collect funds and marry the old flame. [2] Extra marital relationship. [3] Extortion, serially, one marriage after another. [4] To alienate husband from his responsibilities toward his old and dependent parents [5] To obtain a favourable divorce settlement [6] To wrest child custody from the husband.

Sudha concedes that the law perhaps has teething problems. S.498A and the “Prevention of Women from Domestic Violence Act is needed today more than ever as women are getting educated and earning well but are helpless in their homes. If men treat their wives with dignity and equality there is nothing for them to fear.” Ah, then “Why is it that only men with high socio-economic profiles become victims of 498A?” asked Suresh, an entrepreneur. “Easy targets, better yield.” The World Health Organisation has explicitly cited the misuse of anti-dowry law by daughters-in-law as one of the primary reasons for elder abuse in India. Clinical psychologist Devdas suggests pre-nuptial agreements. “At some point, men will decide that a live-in relationship is better than a bash-in one,” he warned.

It’s stupid to talk of retribution. No one wants families to suffer. Discussing differences without malice may help resolve them. But you can’t help shaking your head while letting out a deep sigh. When will women learn to network so efficiently and mount a systematic campaign on and off the web?

Fact File

The number of cases under section IPC 498A registered in 2005: 58,319, cases dismissed at charge-sheet level: 10,491 (18 per cent), cases charge-sheeted on face value of complaint: 47,828 (82 per cent), cases where the accused were acquitted: 24,127 (41 per cent), convicted: 5,739 (9.8 per cent). For these 58,319 registered cases, 1,34,757 people underwent arrest under 498A and Dowry Prohibition Act.

Helpline for Harassed Husbands : 9868142607, 9868142608, 9810170681

Source:>>

New Delhi, Apr 28 : Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury told the Rajya Sabha today that the Government is planning to give more powers to the National Commission for Women Act.

She said amendment of NCW Act is under consideration. The Government will soon hold a roundtable conference of women’s organisations and the associations of men who claim to be “victims” of anti-dowry laws.

Chowdhury said, “1.64 lakh cases of crimes against women were reported in the country in 2006 as against 1.55 lakh cases in the previous year. In 2006, 28,998 cases saw conviction of the accused and the cumulative number of cases pending trial (after including those of previous year) was 5.09 lakh.” [ Why she is not saying 5.09 lakh husband families falsly accused and still under trial; Why Husband families are not counted, and conviction rate is 28,998 in 2006, thats 1/4, it means there are 3 time more false accusations. ]

“While bringing change in the Act we will see that men should not just remain the problem but become a part of the solution,” she added. (ANI)

Source:>>

Section 498a of the Indian Penal Code was enacted to make it easier for the wife to seek redress for potential harassment by her husband’s family. The section being non-bailable, non-compoundable and cognizable (arrests without investigation or warrants) on a report from the wife or any close relative, the law makes it mandatory for the police to file charges against the husband, his parents and other relatives or friends named on the complaint by the wife or her close relatives and put them in jail without the existence of a penalty for filing a false case.
But in the course of the years, the hard-won dowry laws have also functioned as tools for embittered wives seeking revenge on their husbands and their husbands’ families. Even many women’s rights groups in India are concerned that vendettas by some estranged wives could bring these laws into disrepute.

Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) is a strong team of dedicated families comprising of victims of misuse of the Dowry law IPC-498a including NRIs and senior citizens who campaign against gender-biased laws and create awareness about gross injustice and abuse that happen under the Indian Legal system. Most of the members of the organisation are victimized men, who claim to have been falsely implicated and harassed by their wives.

The Pune Chapter of the foundation was initiated in March 2007 by Amitabh Dasgupta, a 31-year-old KPO consultant who also happened to fall prey to the 498a law. Dasgupta along with his parents was thrown out of their apartment in Balewadi after an allegedly false claim by his former wife. They now reside in a rented flat in Kothrud. “After dealing with acute emotional turmoil and shock, I decided to initiate the Save Indian Family Foundation in Pune and help campaign against the abuse of the law,” he says.

“Basically what the organisation is campaigning for is to seek amendments in the IPC-498a that, though providing justice to victimized women, becomes an easy means of extortion for unscrupulous wives,” says Dasgupta, “Policemen are many times duped into believing that these women are innocent, and falsely incriminated father-in-law, mother-in-law and other members of the husband’s family are jailed even without investigation.”

The organisation, apart from the misuse of IPC-498a, also fights for abuse of old and sick people, the in-laws’ arrest based solely on probable cause and the testimony of the daughter-in-law. The Pune Chapter of the foundation now has around 150 members. What the organization is seeking is the establishment of a forum for men analogous to the National Commission of Women. Their protest on March 29 outside the Shivajinagar court saw around 75 families of victimized men demanding amendments in the 498a and seeking the formation of a welfare-ministry of sorts for men and the initiation of the National Commission of Men. They also demanded that dowry acts and Domestic Violence Act be made gender neutral.

The foundation offers free advice and counselling to falsely accused men along with suggesting good lawyers at their weekly meetings every Sunday at Sambhaji Park. Advocate Seema Dhavale has done some pro bono work to help redress victimized men. Being on the panel of SIFF as an adviser, she also gives professional advice to victims and campaigns along with SIFF members. Having been in the family court since 17 years, she says that around four to five victims of 498a come to her every week for consultation. “These laws are made to benefit the weaker sections in the society. If women start using it as a weapon to extort money, it ruins the objective,” she says. She sees adding a 498b for the husbands’ protection as a probable solution.

Dasgupta also ideates that cases under 498a should first result in the termination of the marriage followed by an investigation. “This will discourage fraudulent cases coming up,” he says.

Source :>>

HYDERABAD: Distressed with her marital life,(May be Husband caught herredhanded with lover –eDitor) a housewife allegedly gave poison to her two children and consumed it herself on Tuesday night at her parents house in Malkajgiri. All the three died.

Fifteen years ago, U Kavita Rani, 35, of Piduguralla in Guntur district was married to Shanki, a BSNL employee of Ponnuru in Guntur district.

According to police, Shanki suffered spinalcord injuries when he fell from a telephone pole three years ago. Since then, Shanki was staying in Ponnuru and Kavitha along with her two children came to stay with her mother, Mary C Bhagyamma, a retired nurse.

On Sunday, Bhagyamma went to Guntur to attend a marriage and returned on Wednesday at 9.30 am.

“The main door was locked and keys were placed on the grill. Bhagyamma opened the door and to her horror found Kavitha and her two daughters-Prashanti, 13 and Priscilla, 11- dead on the floor in the bedroom,” Malkajgiri SI U Suresh said.

In the suicide note, Kavitha said she was depressed as her husband had never made any attempt to contact them and she was forced to depend on her mother for survival. Worried about the future of her children, Kavitha gave poison to her children too, police said.
Source:>>

No Alimony
THE WORLD ACCORDNG to FEMNSTS
EMpower Women with FeminISM
GREAT INDIA GONE to DOGS
THE WORLD ACCORDNG to FEMNSTS
Marital Rape a Sabotage of Institute of Marriage
A THOUGHT for ALL FUTURE UNMARRIED MALES
PRE NUPITAL CONTRACT
Indian Mens Legal Torture

New Delhi, April 23 : A widow and her paramour were arrested Tuesday for killing her brother-in-law who had objected to her relationship and then setting his body on fire in west Delhi, police said.

Some residents of DG-Block in Vikaspuri area saw a man, later identified as 35-year-old Prem Raj, engulfed in flames near the common staircase of an apartment early Monday.

Police said the deceased’s sister-in-law Ramrati and her alleged paramour Gajender Singh were arrested from Timarpur area in north Delhi for stabbing Prem Raj, a cleaner in a car showroom, to death and setting his body on fire to conceal his identity.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (west Delhi) Sharad Agarwal said: “It was clear that the crime was committed by someone, who is either a resident of the locality or has access to a house in the locality. It was also found that a flat, near which the body was recovered, was lying vacant for the past five-six years.”

“The flat was opened and we found blood on the floor. It was learnt that Ramrati and Gajender Singh had access to the flat and they were arrested,” he said.

During questioning they revealed that Prem Raj was threatening to expose their “illicit relation”.

“Gajender said they first gave him a sedative laced drink and stabbed him to death after he fell unconscious. They then poured kerosene over his body and set him ablaze to conceal his identity,” said Agarwal.

http://www.mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=75440