Nearly one thousand people on Tuesday joined the funeral procession of a woman college student who was killed allegedly by a stalker in Gujarat last week after she refused to enter into a relationship with him. Some angry citizens also demanded the death penalty for the accused.
Apart from the woman's family members and relatives, several prominent citizens, including former BJP MLA Praful Pansuriya, Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat unit president Gopal Italia and former Patidar quota leader Alpesh Kathiria, also joined the funeral procession.
Many residents, some unable to control their emotions, lined up on a roadside and showered flower petals on the van, which carried the mortal remains of Grishma Vekariya (21).
The funeral procession started from her house in Pasodara village near in the morning and later reached the Ashwini Kumar crematorium in Surat city after covering a distance of about 10 km.
Many people from different walks of life joined the funeral procession on their motorbikes and in cars as a mark of sympathy towards the woman's family.
There were also many women among those who gathered at the crematorium to bid a final farewell to the victim. At the crematorium, some angry citizens demanded capital punishment for the accused, Fenil Goyani.
On Saturday, Goyani allegedly slit the woman's throat with a knife in full public view and also injured her uncle and brother when they tried to save her, police had said.
Later, a purported video of the killing went viral on social media platforms, triggering outrage among citizens. Goyani, who tried to commit suicide by cutting his vein after the incident, was arrested on Saturday and, a case was registered against him under relevant provisions, police earlier said.
The police investigation into the case revealed that the accused and the victim had studied in school together. When the woman and her family members opposed his desire for a relationship with her, Goyani got angry and killed her, the police said.
With PTI inputs.
