india

Updated: Aug 18, 2019 01:04 IST

Police have not ruled out the possibility that Rati Ram Jatav, the 60-year-old man whose older son was lynched in July after his bike accidentally knocked down an elderly woman, may have been murdered.

Jatav died on way to hospital on Thursday. Initially, it was assumed that he committed suicide by drinking pesticide as he was frustrated with the lack of police action against those who killed his son, Harish Jatav. But police officers investigating the case said on Saturday they had not ruled out murder.

“Jatav was blind. Could a blind man have known he was consuming poison, that there was a chemical inside the bottle? Where did he purchase or acquire it from?” asked a police officer familiar with the case.

According to him, one of Jatav’s family members told the police that he had eaten something at 6pm on Thursday and started vomiting. When she tried to help him, he apparently pushed her away. His younger son, Dinesh Jatav too said he was not at home when the incident happened. “All these points raise questions about the alleged suicide,” added the officer.

Inspector general of police, Jaipur range, S Sengathir, confirmed as much. “We are investigating every aspect,” he said.

Jatav’s family members claim he had been receiving threat calls and was distressed that no arrests had been made in his son’s murder.

“For the last two days, my father was not talking to anyone,” Dinesh said. “On August 15 morning, he told me that the father of the accused was threatening him and that he would kill him if he did not take back his complaint.

Dinesh also claimed that the Chaupanki police in Alwar district had initially registered an accident case in Harish’s death but filed a murder case against one named person and another unidentified one, after the family protested.