Nitika Tomar murder: Family to approach higher court for death penalty

Family of 21-year-old Nikita Tomar who was killed last October said they were disappointed with the life sentence awarded to her killers

Family of 21-year-old Nikita Tomar who was killed last October said they were disappointed with the life sentence awarded to her killers. They said they would move the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking the death penalty.

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On Friday, a Faridabad fast-track court said Touseef’s and Rehaan’s crime against the young woman could not be considered as a “rarest of the rare” case and could not be sentenced to death.

When the judgment was delivered, anguished family members, activists and other raised slogans demanding capital punishment.

Touseef and Rehaan had tried to abduct Nikita on October 26, 2020 from in front of her college in Ballabhgarh. When they failed, one of them shot her. The video of the incident went viral.

Nikita’s father Moolchand Tomar on Friday said they were seeking the death penalty as the duo had brutally killed her in a planned and premeditated manner.

“They roamed around my daughter’s college for four days with a plan to abduct her and killed her when she resisted,” he said.

Nikita’s family were also disappointed that despite making a promise to name an educational institute after her, the state government had not yet done so. “Nikita fought for the honour of women and went down fighting. She must be honoured for her sacrifice,” said Navin Tomar, Nikita’s brother.

The family said the government had also promised financial assistance or a job to one of them, which too had not been fulfilled.

“I lost my job and spent ₹6-7 lakh in fighting this case. We had to hire a lawyer in Chandigarh to ensure justice for Nikita. My son’s career is also in the doldrums,” said Moolchand.

Virender Gaur, a city-based social activist, who has been supporting the family said, “The authorities must come good on promises made by them.”

A senior official of the Faridabad district administration said that all efforts were made to get justice for the victim due to which the accused were sentenced within five months of the crime. “The decision of naming of an institution can only be taken at state government level,” he said, on the condition of anonymity.

“The first priority in this matter was to ensure justice was delivered to the victim. The police and the court have done their jobs meticulously. The remaining issues raised by family would also be resolved in due course of time,” said Amit Arya, media advisor to Haryana CM.