AMU alumnus found dead, ‘close friend’ prime suspect

Asma, a native of Balrampur district of western Uttar Pradesh, had run for AMU students’ union president’s post in 2011.

A day after Asma Javed, 32, an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a flat near the campus, police said Thursday that she had died of asphyxiation and a “close friend” had emerged as prime suspect.

Asma, a native of Balrampur district of western Uttar Pradesh, had run for AMU students’ union president’s post in 2011. Her brother, Salman, had lodged a missing complaint Tuesday after her phone was found swtiched off for four days.

A day later, police broke into her two-room flat after neighbours complained of a foul smell. Her body was found in her bedroom. “Her body was swollen and had injuries on the neck. She had a childhood scar on her forehead but there was no fresh injury to her head. She was wearing leggings and a half-sleeve top,” said Salman. Police said only Asma’s phone was missing.

Senior Superintendent of Police J Ravindra Gaur said her friend is being questioned. “We have enough evidence of his involvement,” he said.

SHO Suryakant Dwivedi said the friend was the last person to have seen Asma on May 7 when she was returning from Hathras, about 35 km from Aligarh, where she was pursuing a teaching course. “He met her at the bus stand and dropped her home on his bike. That is the last time she was seen,” he said. He added that the friend, a property dealer, is married.

Asma’s family said that in 2010 she was married to a man with a PhD in soil sciences. They lived together for about eight months before he left without telling her anything and never returned, said Salman. “The last we heard was that he was teaching in a university in Guyana. She was depressed for a long time after he left. He didn’t even grant her a divorce,” he added.

Police said Asma had also filed a complaint of rape against a restaurant owner, alleging that he had promised to marry her. “Later in court, she almost backtracked. The case is pending for legal opinion,” said Dwivedi.

Asma’s sister-in-law Afshar Aftab and father Hamid Javed arrived in Aligarh Thursday, a day after her brother laid her to rest at the Jamalpur Idgah Kabrastan. “Her parents knew she had a close friend. It is he who called on her mother’s phone Saturday and informed us that Asma was not reachable,” said Afshar.

AMU students’ union president Abdullah Azzam said, “The incident is very tragic. She was talked about when she contested the elections. She, however, got very few votes.”

AMU vice-chancellor Zameeruddin Shah said, “Any loss of life is regrettable. That is all I would like to say.”

Women students of AMU remembered Asma as an active student leader. “When she contested the elections, I had seen her posters. She also sat on a dharna in 2006 to protest against a professor accused of sexual harassment. She was a strong, independent woman who kept to herself,” said Second Year BSc student Hiba Kakul. Another student, Lubna Irfan, who is pursuing an MA in History, said: “We didn’t know her personally, but she was a role model.

Source:: Indian Express