Mumbai, Jun 26: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday assured the family of Ketan Agarwal, who was allegedly pushed to death from Lohagad Fort by his fiancee and her lover, that the government would ensure strict punishment to those responsible and spare no effort in securing justice.
Fadnavis also accepted the Agarwal family’s demand to try the case in a fast-track court.
Ketan’s father, Vishal Agarwal, met the CM in Pune and sought justice for his son.
Ketan’s fiancee Siya Goyal (20) and her lover Chetan Chaudhary (22) are accused of pushing him (Ketan) off a cliff at Lohagad Fort, located in Maval taluka of Pune district, on June 18.
According to police, Siya and Ketan (25) were scheduled to get married in November, but she did not want to marry him. Siya and Chetan allegedly hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Ketan and executed the plan.
During his meeting with Ketan’s father, Fadnavis assured him that the government was committed to ensuring that the accused in the case get stringent punishment and that every effort would be made to secure justice, an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.
Fadnavis also accepted the family’s demand to try the case in a fast-track court and approved the appointment of senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor in the case.
The chief minister directed the secretary of the Law and Judiciary Department to initiate the necessary process for the appointment, while Nikam has conveyed his consent to appear as the special public prosecutor, the statement said.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters in Pune, Fadnavis said the Lohagad Fort incident reflected a disturbing social trend that required deeper introspection.
“It is an extremely shocking and incomprehensible incident. As a society, we need to reflect on why educated young men and women from good families develop such criminal intent and a desire for revenge. This is not merely a criminal issue; it also has a social angle,” he said.
Society must create a strong support system to ensure such vengeful thinking does not develop among young people. Overall, this is an extremely shocking incident, Fadnavis added. (PTI)
