Charitable trust opened in Shraddha Walkar’s name, to operate in Maharashtra, Delhi

Vikas Walkar, father of Shraddha (right). Pics/Hanif Patel

A charitable trust has been opened in the name of Shraddha Walkar, the Vasai-based woman who was hacked into 35 pieces by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawala in Delhi's Mehrauli area on May 2022. The Shraddha Walkar Charitable Trust is dedicated to advancing the cause of women's safety and aims to provide pro bono legal support to underprivileged families seeking justice.

"We have been often coming across new cases of crimes against women in India. Women's safety is a prime concern in our country where families can bear the legal expenditure. The aggrieved families often lose zeal and enthusiasm to fight against the system and eventually, the accused is acquitted despite committing gruesome crimes. The conviction rate in crimes against women is very low. So, the main purpose of this charitable trust is to provide legal as well as financial support to the aggrieved families," said Advocate Seema Kushwaha, who has been fighting a legal battle in a Delhi court to seek justice for Shraddha Walkar.

Vikas Walkar, the bereaved father of Shraddha, said, "We will be visiting schools and colleges to spread awareness among students about women's safety. This charitable trust will help underprivileged families to ensure that justice is not denied to them. We will be operating from Vasai, Delhi and Pune, but soon we will be expanding our wings."

Long wait

It has been more than two years since Shraddha was killed by Poonawala, who stored her remains in a refrigerator at his rented accommodation in Mehrauli. Her last rites are yet to be conducted by Vikas, who has vowed to cremate her remains only after her boyfriend is hanged.

"Though I had been seeking the bones from the Delhi police to conduct her last rites within a year, I could not obtain them. Now, I have vowed to conduct her last rites only after the court awards her killer the death sentence," Vikas told mid-day.

"Though I have been receiving tremendous pressure from family members and relatives to complete her last rites. Shraddha's soul will rest in peace only if the court announces the death sentence to Aftab Poonawala. I am desperately waiting for the final verdict," Vikas added.

Poonawala would get up early in the morning to dispose of the body parts in a nearby jungle area. After an extensive search in the jungle, Delhi police managed to discover only 13 pieces of Shraddha's bones found scattered in Mehrauli.

There are a total of 212 witnesses in the case according to the charge sheets, said Kushwaha who was also in Vasai during the opening ceremony of the charitable trust on Sunday.

"The father of Shraddha Walkar decided to open the charitable trust so that her name can live on forever," she added.

90-day delay

Vikas initially approached the Manikpur police in Vasai on August 15, 2022, to report that Shraddha was missing but was turned away. He then reached out to the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) and the divisional assistant commissioner of police (ACP), who instructed the Manikpur police to register a missing person report on October 6, 2022. Despite this directive, the report was only filed on October 12. Poonawala was eventually arrested on November 11, nearly 90 days after Vikas first contacted the police.

The Manikpur police claim to have called Poonawala for the first time for questioning on October 20, 2022. CCTV footage dated October 18, 2022, shows Poonawala walking in his Delhi neighbourhood early in the morning with two bags. The police suspect he was carrying body parts in these bags to dispose of them in the forest.

The unusual delay in addressing the murder gave Poonawala sufficient time to dispose of the remains.

212
No. of witnesses in case