New Delhi:
Delhi's anger over the grisly death of a young tattoo artist, Paras Bhasin, is building. A group of around 50 people organised a protest march this evening from Mr Bhasin's residence in Subhash Nagar in west Delhi to the DCP's office in Rajouri Garden, demanding action against his wife's family. Mr Bhasin's family alleges that his in-laws are responsible for his death.
Mr Bhasin, 22 years old, was found dead near a railway track in East Delhi on Saturday - his head was missing, a tattoo of his wife's name helped identify him - but it took the police nearly three days to register a case of murder, after first inexplicably describing it as a suicide. Mr Bhasin's father-in-law, who was allegedly unhappy with his daughter's marriage, was questioned by the police today. A man who reported his death to Mr Bhasin's family has been identified today as a passer-by, who found Mr Bhasin's ID near the railway tracks and phoned his home.
The police today said that reports that Mr Bhasin's corpse had been found headless were inaccurate. They say he was run over by a train, and that the impact left his body severely dismembered. They say they cannot rule out whether he committed suicide - a notion that deeply upsets his family, which blames his in-laws for his death.
Mr Bhasin secretly married Shaily Mittal, the young woman he was in love with, nearly four months ago, says his brother. However, because the bride's family was against the relationship, Ms Mittal continued to live at her parents' home, without acknowledging her wedding.
On August 24, she allegedly broke the news of her marriage to her family. A day later, Mr Bhasin's family met her mother at a mall. Her father made phone calls to the Bhasins' neighbours, inquiring about the family. On August 29, Mr Bhasin finally met his father-in law, who he would later tell an uncle, humiliated him.
On September 1, he left his home and was found dead hours later.