Manjhi grandson held in wife death

The Gaya police Tuesday arrested former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s grandson, Vicky, after he confessed to illegally cremating his wife Soni Kumari. The police had picked him up for questioning following an FIR by his father-in-law against his mother Sunaina Devi.

According to police sources, “Vicky has confessed that he took the body to the crematorium along with other members of his family after she committed suicide.”

The police said the accused said during interrogation that he had a fight with his wife Sunday evening, following which she hanged herself from a fan inside her bedroom. They said Vicky’s five-year-old son Vishesh was the first to find her hanging from the fan and informed his mother Sunaina Devi about it.

“We are still investigating whether it was a murder or a suicide; a team of forensic experts have collected samples from the crime scene and will be submitting a report soon,” Mr Alok Kumar, deputy SP of Gaya, said.

The Gaya police is also investigating the role of other family members. An FIR against Mr Manjhi’s daughter Sunaina Devi and four other members of her family was lodged on Monday by the father of the the deceased, accusing them of “murdering his daughter” for dowry.

On Monday, Ms Sunaina Devi had rejected all accusations saying that her daughter-in-law had disappeared without informing anyone. Sources said the police may also take action against Ms Sunaina Devi as they feel that she had knowledge regarding her death.

“The police is investigating the matter from all angles and anyone found to be associated with the crime will be arrested no matter who the person is,” one of the police sources said.