Death penalty for cop

LUCKNOW: Sessions judge JN Paliwal on Thursday awarded death penalty to traffic police constable Chandrajeet Yadav for killing five members of his family, including wife Vidya Devi and four daughters. The judge, holding these brutal murders as rarest of rare cases, directed that Yadav be hanged till death. According to the prosecution, Yadav, serving as traffic constable, murdered his wife and four daughters who tried to rescue their mother in the intervening night of March 31 and April 1, 2000, when they were sleeping in the adjacent room of the house in Reserve Police Lines.It was alleged that the accused suspected his wife of having illicit relations with some one. It was contended by district government counsel Manohar Singh that at the time of murder, Yadav was sleeping in a room along with his wife Vidya Devi, daughter Madhu and two sons Pankaj and Ankit, while other daughters Nitu, Kiran, Suman and Purnima were sleeping in the adjoining room. Yadav started quarrelling with his wife and later attacked her with an axe. On hearing Vidya Devi's cries, her daughters tried to save her. The accused in a fit of rage also murdered his four daughters. Later Yadav's son Pankaj informed sub-inspector Ranvir Singh about the incident and the FIR was lodged accordingly. The prosecution produced Pankaj and Purnima as eye-witnesses along with SI Ranvir Singh, staff officer AP Singh Chauhan, Dr Amiy Dayal, Dr Rakesh Rawat, head constable Rajan Kumar, SI Raj Kumar Yadav, SI Harish Chandra, inspector Moin Ahmad, to prove the guilt of the accused. The court, considering the gravity of the offence and believing the testimony of Purnima (16) and Pankaj (10), held Yadav guilty for committing murder of five persons and awarded death penalty.