This murder case goes beyond just a property dispute. Hindu personal law gives equal rights to women in inheritance, but often women are coaxed or tricked out of their right. The excuse offered is “The son is caring for the parents so he should get the inheritance”. However, in this case, the daughter was living with & caring for the father. When the father favored her for inheritance, his prerogative for self-earned assets, the brother found it hard to digest. It was about entitlement.
The incident took place in Etawah, UP last month when Harshvardhan, whose father Lavkush Chauhan was a retired chief medical officer, shot and killed his sister Jyoti (40) and her three-year-old daughter Tashu. For the past three years, Jyoti had been residing at her parents’ house with her daughter.
Family members rushed to the scene upon hearing gunshots and discovered the mother and daughter lying bloodied.
According to Jyoti’s husband Rahul’s statement to the police, Harshvardhan entered the room accompanied by his two sons and fired shots, killing Jyoti and Tashu instantly. An injured Rahul managed to escape the situation.
Jyoti and Rahul were married in Lucknow in 2019. She had been staying with Chauhan for three years to look after her father, while Rahul made frequent visits to the house, as per Chauhan’s police statement.
