Padmesh Kumari murder case: Will justice finally be delivered?

Fit of fury: Padmesh Kumari (left) was shot by her paramour Dhiren Walia following an argumentOn May 30, Padmesh Kumari, 48-year-old cousin of punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, was allegedly shot dead by her lover-cum-caretaker Dhiren Walia in Shimla.The murder apparently followed a drunken altercation between Kumari and Walia, but the police is yet to ascribe a motive. For Kumari, it was the culmination of a flamboyant but lonely life that had seen a failed marriage and amorous relationships, the latest with Walia.On May 24, Kumari and Walia along with friends Jaidev and Nisha of Delhi, checked into Cedar House, a guesthouse owned by the Punjab Government. The booking had been arranged by the chief minister's office. On the night of the murder, the four returned to the guest house around midnight already drunk and again embarked on a drinking session. Soon an argument ensued between Kumari and Walia, and according to Jaidev and Nisha, Walia whipped out a .32-bore pistol and fired at Kumari at point-blank range.Kumari slumped dead on the sofa. Soon after, Jaidev and Nisha raised an alarm and the police intercepted Walia on the Shimla-Chandigarh highway while he was trying to escape. Rumours are rife about the motive. It is said Kumari had met Ajay Bahadur Singh, a former lover, two days before her murder. Walia had once been the personal assistant of Ajay Bahadur. Kumari was daughter of the late Bhalendra Singh, former president of theIndian Olympic Association (IOA), and sister of Randhir Singh, the present IOA secretary-general. Many years ago, a divorced Kumari is said to have had a live-in relationship with Ajay Bahadur, a scion of the erstwhile royal family of Nahan in Himachal Pradesh. It was at Nahan that she met Walia-13 years her junior-and took him to Delhi as as her caretaker-cum-bodyguard.Walia soon became Kumari's close companion, despite her family's objection. Walia reportedly acquired an opulent lifestyle, splurging Kumari's money on flashy cars, designer clothes and expensive liquor. "He exploited Kumari to the hilt," says a family insider. It was, ironically, a licensed pistol which Kumari had bought for Walia for her protection that was used in the killing.The incident has also highlighted the dubious manner in which Walia was issued a firearms licence even though he is not a bona fide resident of Punjab. In May last year, the licence was issued by the Sangrur district magistrate at the behest of Arvind Khanna, a Congress MLA and Kumari's son-in-law. Five months on, a five-year, all-India validity was recommended by Punjab Home Secretary Sanjit Sinha who is also principal secretary to the chief minister. As police investigations go on and the murder sustains media interest, it is anybody's guess when justice will finally be delivered.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Jun 16, 2003 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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Padmesh Kumari murder case: Will justice finally be delivered?

Padmesh Kumari, 48-year-old cousin of punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, was allegedly shot dead by her lover-cum-caretaker Dhiren Walia in Shimla.

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