She deeply loved animals and surfed for recipes: Uncle
HYDERABAD: Over the past few days, visitors of all hues, including union minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy, deputy chief minister of Telangana Mohammed Mahmood Ali, and governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, besides members of the National Commission of Women have been dropping in at the residence of the woman, whose charred body was found under a culvert on the outskirts of Shadnagar, on November 28. A police van has been stationed outside the gate, and white plastic chairs have been left out to accommodate visitors.
The uncle of the 26-year-old veterinary doctor told HT that the family is still in shock.
“She is a beautiful person. I still can’t say ‘was’. When one of the officials asked me my name, after we got to know of the incident, I went blank. That is the kind of shock all of us are in. Her mother and sister are inconsolable. Everybody comes and tell us justice will be done. What is the use? Will your smiling daughter comeback? After Nirbhaya [December 2012 gang-rape] too, nothing has changed,” he said.
The uncle is the first cousin of the victim’s father.
It was her love for animals that drove her to become a veterinary doctor, though her rank in the medical entrance test made her eligible to study medicine, he said. “Even as a child, she was inordinately fond of animals… and fed stray dogs, cows, horses… [Her family] used to live in a small house so her dream to own a pet never materialised.”
The victim’s father has a transferrable job, and visited the family on weekends. “He is due to retire in eight months and he was looking forward to being with his family,” the victim’s uncle said.
Four things were central to her life: a love for animals, books, family time and cooking. The uncle recalled how the victim would lookup new recipes online, and experiment with dishes that her family would sample.
“We come from a conservative agricultural background and she read many books. Maybe if she was more experienced with the ways of the world, things wouldn’t have come to this,” said a relative who did not wish to be named. The victim moved to this house three years ago with her mother and sister, after she began working.
Shalini, a neighbour who identified herself by her first name, said that the family kept to themselves. “You would hardly notice them. All we saw was the girls going or returning from their jobs. They would smile and make small talk.”
While visiting the city, the victim would park her scooty at the Shamshabad toll plaza, and then take a bus or a shared taxi. She was very close to her sister, whose work is located near the toll plaza. On November 27, the victim did the same thing. When she returned, she found the tyre punctured. Four men sitting in a lorry offered to help, and allegedly raped and murdered her in the intervening night of November 27/28. The following day, her charred remains were found.
“The CM [K Chandrashekhar Rao] has not sent even a condolence letter. I only hope that steps are taken to make India a safer place for women,” the uncle said.