Two convicted in Pushkin Chandra murder case

A city court on Friday convicted two persons, including an HIV patient in the gruesome murder of two gay men -— Pushkin Chandra, son of a retired IAS officer, and his friend Kuldeep in August 2000.

A city court on Friday convicted two persons, including an HIV patient in the gruesome murder of two gay men -— Pushkin Chandra, son of a retired IAS officer, and his friend Kuldeep in August 2000.

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The murder highlighted the darkness lurking within the gay community in the city. The court has fixed March 2 for the order on quantum of sentence.

Additional Sessions Judge A.K. Kuhar convicted the prime accused, Rajesh Rekhwar and Moti, guilty for the double murder (section 302) and theft in the house (Section 380).

Chandra (38), an MBA from US and a USAID worker, was murdered along with his partner Kuldeep at the former's residence in the upmarket area of Anand Lok late on August 14, 2004.

Police said that Kuldeep knew the killers — they had all attended a party that evening before returning to Chandra’s home.

Police said along with nude bodies of Chandra and Kuldeep stabbed several times, they also recovered evidence of bondage and stacks of pornography from his residence.

The police alleged that it was Chandra’s obsession to photograph nude young men that had triggered the incident.

The court has acquitted two others, Munna and Jai Kishore, allegedly involved in ‘destruction of evidence’ and ‘keeping the stolen property’ for want of proof.

During the trial, main accused Rajesh was granted interim bail by the court after he tested positive for AIDS. The prosecution examined 37 witnesses to prove its case.