Rathi’s refusal to marry her kin led to acid attack, says lawyer

MUMBAI : Ankur Panwar, a relative who hurled acid at Preeti Rathi, wanted to take revenge as she had refused to marry him and decided to pursue her career as a nurse

MUMBAI : Ankur Panwar, a relative who hurled acid at Preeti Rathi, wanted to take revenge as she had refused to marry him and decided to pursue her career as a nurse with the Navy, prosecution argued on Wednesday in the ongoing final arguments in the special woman’s court.

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The special public prosecutor, Ujwal Nikam, contended that Panwar wanted to marry Rathi and he also had proposed her for marriage. However, She had turned it down.

Panwar has been charged with murder after he allegedly flung acid at her at the Bandra railway terminus on May 2, 2013. Rathi was travelling to Mumbai for a nursing job with the ministry of defence at the INHS Asvini Hospital in Colaba. Rathi succumbed to her injuries on June 1, 2013.

The prosecution further contended that Panwar followed Rathi from Delhi to Mumbai. As soon as she got down at the platform on Bandra railway station, he flung acid at her. Nikam referred to testimony of five eye witnesses .

Further, the prosecution also referred to the testimony of 11 doctors who treated Rathi and said that she died because of the acid attack. Nikam on Tuesday began his final arguments in the Rathi acid attack.