AGRA: Ex-Army jawan Manoj Kumar, 50, was sentenced to death by a court in Aligarh on Saturday for the murder of his wife Seema Devi, 38, son Manvendra Singh, 6, and neighbour Shashibala, 40, in 2014. The court relied heavily on the testimony of the convict’s 13-year-old daughter, Usimita Singh, who was critically injured in the incident, ADGC Mape Singh said.
On July 12 that year, after a verbal spat with his wife, Manoj, in a fit of rage, took out a rifle and a revolver from his cupboard and shot her in the chest. Hearing gunshots, their neighbour Shashibala rushed in and the ex-Army jawan shot her in the head. Manoj then targeted his children. Manvendra, terrified by the gunshots clung on to his legs, pleading to spare his life, but he was also shot in the head. All three died. His daughter, a student of Class 8, was shot in the face but survived to narrate the horrific details before the court.
Manoj was overpowered by neighbours and handed over to the police, and Seema’s brother Dilip Kumar later filed a complaint at Banna Devi in Aligarh.
In his police complaint, Dilip stated that he was about to visit his sister’s place when he noticed a lot of commotion on the road. Soon, he came to know that Manoj had “attacked several people”. When he stepped into the house, Dilip saw his brother-in-law shooting at the 13-year-old girl. He further stated that Manoj was ill-tempered and used to often beat his wife and children. Police registered a case against the ex-Army man under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder).
