Ex-IAS officer's son assaults widow after she refuses to marry him in Kanpur; arrested

Kanpur (UP), Jul 6 (PTI) A 38-year-old man, identified as the son of a retired IAS officer, was arrested in Bithoor on Sunday for allegedly attacking a widow with a brick after she refused to marry him, a police official said on Monday. The woman, an employee at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K), suffered serious head and facial injuries and is undergoing treatment at Lala Lajpat Rai hospital. According to the police, she regained consciousness nearly 24 hours after the assault. The police said that the incident took place on Saturday when the accused, Devashish Nigam, allegedly picked up the woman in his car from near the IIT-K campus and drove towards Brahm Ghat in Bithoor. During the drive, Nigam allegedly pressured her to marry him. An argument broke out after she refused. According to the FIR and preliminary investigation, Nigam stopped the car near Model Dairy along the railway service lane and allegedly attacked the woman with a brick inside the vehicle. When she tried to save herself by locking the car door, he allegedly smashed the window, dragged her onto the road, and repeatedly hit her on the head and body. Hearing her screams, local residents rushed to the spot and handed him over to the police after allegedly thrashing him. The woman's sister alleged that Nigam had been forcing her sibling to marry him for a long time and had threatened her earlier as well. "He used to claim that nobody could touch him because his mother was a retired IAS officer," she alleged further. Police identified the accused as a resident of Raj Tower in Swaroop Nagar. Officials said his mother, Chandra Nigam, is a retired IAS officer. Police further said Nigam married in 2014 and has a daughter, but has reportedly been living separately from his wife for the past six months. Officials added that the victim is a widow and mother of a teenage daughter. DCP West SM Qasim Abidi said a case has been registered under charges including attempt to murder and voluntarily causing grievous hurt. "The accused was arrested on Sunday and all aspects of the case are being investigated," he added. Meanwhile, videos purportedly showing the assault and locals confronting the accused surfaced on social media, triggering widespread outrage. PTI COR NAV SHS