The social boycott of the four accused of the murder of a tourist couple decreed by the maha panchayat involving 14 villages in the Chakrata area has sent home a message to the tourists that Uttarakhand is safe for them.
In the aftermath of the gruesome murder of a male tourist, native of West Bengal, and alleged gang-rape-cummurder of the woman, with whom he was having a relationship, in the Chakrata area by four locals on October 23, maha panchayat was held in Chakrata two days ago and its members demanded capital punishment for all the four accused.
Besides, it was decided there that no advocate would be allowed to fight their case in the court.
According to the maha panchayat members, this incident had proved a scar over the region and the residents are outraged.
This region attracts the tourists and this incident would adversely impact tourism in the region, in particular, and the State, in general.
They said that the incident was unprecedented in terms of brutality in the history of the region. The people of Chakrata region are acclaimed for the warmth of the hospitality for the tourists.
“It would take ages to have this scar healed,” one of them said
Uttarakhand Home Minister Pritam Singh also expressed outrage over the incident and said that law would take its course to have the accused of the heinous crime adequately punished.
The Chakrata Police Station in-charge sub-inspector Mukesh Thaledi said that the Delhi- based tourist couple had reached Dehradun on October 21 and left for Chakrata on October 22.
They hired a bus on October 23 evening. The bus driver assured them that accommodation would not be a problem there. While the couple was headed towards lakha Mandal after visiting Tiger Falls the male was strangled to death and the woman was first gang-raped and then murdered.
Their bodies were dumped at two separate places. Missing of the couple was reported in Delhi and Kolkata on October 28 and 29 respectively.
The Delhi police had approached the Dehradun police to solve the case. Finally, police arrested four accused - Raju, Bablu, Guddu and Kundan- and all of them were sent to jail after being presented in the court.
According to a police officer, he had faced difficulties to bring the accused to Dehradun from Chakrata as the enraged locals were demanding the accused be handed over to them.