After a day-long protest, Preeti Rathi, who died of injuries following an acid attack in Mumbai, was cremated on Monday evening following assurance from a senior Government official to fulfill demands of victim's family.
Earlier in the day, alleging negligence in her treatment, the victim's family refused to cremate her demanding a CBI inquiry into her death. They also demanded that her cremation should be done with state honours.
A family member said, "The doctors at the hospital did not even do her CT scan and delayed in referring her to a better hospital. Due to this delay, her condition deteriorated and by the time she was shifted to Bombay Hospital, it was too late."
The protesters -- including family members, kin and residents of the neighborhood -- carried her coffin from her residence in Narela and marched towards the GT road. They were intercepted by the Delhi Police on the way and were denied marching forward.
They then resorted to road blockade. This led to a traffic snarl around the Singhu border area.
"The CBI is the country's highest investigating body and we hope that they give justice to our daughter without any bias. We have cremated Preeti's body at a crematorium in Narela after a senior Government official assured us to fulfill our demands" said Amar Singh Rathi, Preeti's father.
"In a written letter to the Government, I had put up three demands. First, I want a CBI probe in my daughter's murder case. Secondly, I want a Government service for one of my family members. Third, state of honours for my daughter," said Rathi.
"The victim's family was assured by sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of a CBI probe. He also gave them assurance on pushing their other demands before the Government," said a senior official of the Delhi Police.
Only after the Delhi Police and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Narela, Ajay Arora intervened and accepted the demands and also decided to put forth the demands to the District Magistrate that the family members agreed to cremate the body around 4pm. Hundreds of people from the locality had gathered for Preeti's cremation.
The SDM handed over a copy of the letter to the family members which he had forwarded to the District magistrate.