Former Assam judge Upendra Nath Rajkhowa, who was sentenced to death for the murder of his wife and three daughters in 1970, is back in the news. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is all set to play the role in a biopic on the judge.
His brother and filmmaker Faizuddin has confirmed the project.
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“I was very interested in the story and I really wanted to be a part of such a film, so I wanted to go ahead and produce the film myself in my own studio… We all already know Nawaz's versatility and Scope, I'm excited to announce this project with my brother.
Who is Judge Lacova?
Rajkhowa was appointed as the judge of Dhubri District and District Court of Lower Assam in 1969.
He first came to Dubri alone and lived in the Circuit House, later moving to the official residence.
During the Durga Puja holidays, he is accompanied by his wife Putul and three daughters – Nirmali (Linu), Jonali (Luna) and Rupali (Ruplekha or Bhantu) . Luna and Bantu soon returned to Guwahati as their colleges were about to reopen.
Dig 2 holes
On January 14, 1970, a few days before Magh Bihu, Rajkhowa asked Bigan Prosad Rout, a coolie of the district magistrate's court, to cut off his hair near the bathroom near his bedroom A wooden pillar. Later, he asked Raut to uproot the stump of the pillar, which was done by Md. Sahid Ali, a peon at the Assistant District Magistrate's office in Dhubri, and Radha, a gardener at the Rajkhowa residence. Done with the help of Radha Nath Mali. Rajkova then asked the peons not to fill the pit as he wanted to grow some plants there.
A few days later, Rajkhowa dug another pit dug by Saheed on the east side of Radha’s living area in the compound of the official residence. He told them that he would plant padam flowers there brought from Cooch Behar.
last appeared
On the Saraswati Puja day of February 10, 1970, Rajkova asked his peons and orderlies to watch the festivities. When they returned around 8:30 pm, they saw Rajkhowa sitting by the fireplace with his wife and eldest daughter. That was the last time the two met.
Soon, the other two daughters also disappeared.
Penance; offer servant 1,000 rupees
A chain of events came to light after police arrested and interrogated Rajkhova.
Subsequently, the then Inspector General of Police of Assam, Barada Sarma, issued a statement in court saying: “Shri UN Rajkhowa admitted before me that he and his personal servant Shri Umesh Baishya had an affair on October 10 Umesh Baishya and Rajkhowa killed his wife and eldest daughter on 2 May and then killed Jona and Ruplekha on 25-2-70.
According to police, Baishya was paid Rs 1,000. Rajkova later admitted that the body was buried in the compound of the official residence. After a doctor's report confirmed the absence of any toxic elements and pointed to bleeding as the cause of death, Baishya admitted that he hit the woman with a hard object.
How Rakhowa keeps misleading
Sarma told the court that in May 1970, he began to become suspicious of the mysterious disappearance of Rajkhova's wife and three daughters. So he contacted the girl's uncle and other relatives. Rajkova has always claimed that the women were at their relatives' houses in Kokrajhar, Delhi and Darjeeling.
However, Ajit Sarma, a relative of Rajkhowa in Delhi, told police that he met their common relative Lakhi Ghose in Kokrajhar in May 1970 Lakhi Goswami, but the two women were not seen.
Eventually, Rajkova escaped from Dhubri, confirming police suspicions, and was found at a hotel in Siliguri, where he was arrested.
Judge sentenced him to death, accomplices sentenced to life in prison
Rajkhowa was sentenced to death and hanged in Jorhat jail. However, he never revealed the motive behind the murder.
Baishya was initially acquitted but was later convicted under Section 302/34 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released from prison a few years ago.
