‘Get married before live-in’: Union minister’s remarks on Shraddha Walkar murder case spark controversy

The grisly details of the Shraddha Walkar murder case have sparked a wave of outrage and shock in the entire nation. Her alleged murderer Aaftab Poonawala was also her live-in partner and has since been arrested by the Delhi police.

Now, the remarks of Union Minister Kaushal Kishore on live-in relationships in regard to the Shraddha Walkar murder case have sparked controversy. Kishore reportedly said that educated girls are to be blamed for such horrific incidents of crime.

While speaking to media house CNN-News18, Kishore said, “Absolutely responsible (for the incident). Her mother opposed, her father opposed...an educated girl took this decision...it was a mistake..they should get involved in (live-in relationships)...If you really fall in love with someone, get married first. What's this live-in relation? Such methods are encouraging crimes.”

Surprised he didn’t say girls are responsible for being born into this nation. Shameless, heartless and cruel, blame-the-woman-for-all problems mentality continues to thrive. https://t.co/ILYGHjwsMX

— Priyanka ) November 17, 2022

The remarks by Kishore drew a sharp response from Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, who said that such comments are “shameful”, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack the minister from the Union cabinet for the comments.

Posting a fiery tweet, Chaturvedi said, “Surprised he didn’t say girls are responsible for being born into this nation. Shameless, heartless and cruel, blame-the-woman-for-all problems mentality continues to thrive.”

Shraddha Walkar was murdered by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonwala on May 18, after the couple had a heated argument the same night. Walkar had been living with Aaftab for several weeks, and the couple had recently started renting a flat in Delhi’s Mehrauli.

Walkar was allegedly strangled to death by Aaftab, who later chopped her body into 35 pieces and stored it in his freezer. The accused then used to go on late-night walks to get rid of her body parts one by one over the course of 18 days.

The shocking details of the murder were revealed six months after the incident after her friends grew concerned about her disappearance and contacted her father, who in turn filed a complaint. Aaftab has been sent to police custody for five days, while the investigation continues.

READ | Shraddha Walkar murder case: Confident of a 'perfect crime', how a drunk Aaftab boasted about Dexter-inspired killing