Opinion | Nikita murder case: Killers must be given swift, exemplary punishment

The daylight murder of a girl in Ballabhgarh near Faridabad in Haryana has caused nationwide outrage after the 23-second CCTV footage of the shooting at point-blank range by the stalker named Tauseef was circulated on social media.    Twenty-year-old Nikita Tomar was a B. Com. Final Year student in a Faridabad college. On Tuesday, as she came out of the college with her friend, the killer and his associate Rehan came in a car and tried to drag her into their car. As Nikita resisted, Tauseef whipped out his pistol and fired, killing her on the spot. The two fled in their car leaving the shocked friend watching Nikita dying on the road.    Soon her family members came and along with other local residents, they staged an impromptu sit-in on the road blocking traffic on the Delhi-Mathura highway. Thousands of people joined the protesters demanding immediate action against the killers.    Nikita’s father alleged that Tauseef had been harassing her for the last two years, and his daughter had filed a molestation complaint in September last year. The local police had then arranged a compromise between the two families, but Tauseef and his mother had been persistently calling her for the last few week pressuring her to convert to Islam and marry. Nikita steadfastly refused, but Tauseef continued to stalk her.    The local police did not take any action to provide security to the girl. Nikita’s grandfather alleged that after the murder, the local SHO did not listen to the family’s version about the incident while registering FIR against Tauseef. They demanded that a fresh FIR be registered and the case be tried in a fast track court.    Ten teams were set up by the Crime Branch to nab the two killers, and both Tauseef and Rehan were arrested within hours of committing the heinous crime. Tauseef is 21 years old and is studying physiotherapy. Both were produced in court on Tuesday and sent to two days’ police custody. Police had a tough time persuading Nikita’s family members and local residents, who were demanding the death penalty for the killers. Police officers had to convince them that the case would be speeded up during trial and justice will be ensured. By evening, the sit-in was lifted and Nikita’s body was taken for last rites.    This was a case of cold-blooded murder and by no stretch of the imagination, it can be said that the killing took place because of anger. The role of the local police has come under the scanner because Tauseef happens to be a cousin of a local Congress MLA. Now that the CCTV evidence and eyewitnesses are available, there must be no delay in filing charge sheet and securing punishment for the two killers. The defence counsels may try their best to delay the matter in courts, but one must understand that justice delayed is justice denied. The prosecution must come out with a strong water-tight case and the killers must not be spared at any cost.    The anger of protesters is justified because normally law takes a long time while following its own course. Though a stringent law has been enacted to punish rapists and killers, there must be a specific deadline for disposal of such cases in fast track courts. The sooner justice is given, the better. The punishment must be exemplary and swift, so that stalkers, killers and rapists must dread the hands of the law. Only then can our daughters can dream of living a secure life unhindered by such criminals.

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