Victim's mother, AAP march against murder 'cover-up'

Tapsi Chaudhari, mother of an air-hostess who died during her training, received support from Aam Aadmi Party in the capital. 

Some 25 party members from Jharkhand and some from Delhi joined her in a candlelight march at Jantar Mantar Friday.  

Chaudhari said her 17-year-old daughter Mousumi sustained fatal injuries in May 2009 during her training at Hotel Sonnet’s laundry section. 

She said Mousumi’s scarf got trapped in the roller press, injuring her neck. She was brought to Tata Main Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

However, the mother said her daughter was murdered after being raped. “My daughter complained of sexual harassment a few days before the incident. She was beautiful and honest,” she said.

She termed the two CBI enquiries instituted by the Jharkhand High Court “inconclusive”. “I have faith in the judiciary, but the CBI probe has only led to a cover-up. There are big corporate executives involved in this case,” she said.

Not satisfied with the CBI enquiry, Chaudhary approached the high court twice. The apex court also upheld the HC’s re-investigation orders in April 2011.

“The then CBI chief A P Singh was once the SP of Jamshedpur and had a lot of corporate linkages in the town,” Tapsi said, adding that the case is an unresolved murder mystery. 

“My daughter is dead, but my motherly love is not. This struggle will continue,” Tapsi said. 

The group of protesters who marched on the 100-metre-long stretch of Jantar Mantar were stopped by police when they wanted to go further. 

AAP leaders extended their support too but didn’t turn up for the march.