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Last moment of Two Murderers

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NK SINGH This is a study in contrast, of two murderers who were hanged in the Rajipur Central Jail, Madhya Pradesh, recently. Both of them had been convicted of killing their spouses. 38-year-old Pyarelal, sent to gallows on May 1, was every inch a hardened criminal and remained unrepentant till his last breath. While undergoing trial for killing his wife in 1964, he murdered two fellow prisoners inside the jail following an alteration of a personal nature. Both were fast asleep when their heads were crushed by a heavy boulder and an iron bar. Ultimately, Pyarelal was sentenced to death for the triple murder. 28-year-old Budhram was hanged on June 18 for murdering his wife Man Kunwar, 25, and uncle, Bagarsai, 27, when he found them in a compromising position. The murder, obviously committed in a rage, gave him such a psychosomatic shock that he lost his power of speech and hearing, which he regained only when told that he had been sentenced to death. Change At Last Budhram had turned h...
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Death of the Last Prince: A forgotten chapter in Tukojirao Holkar's life

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NK SINGH


The death of 88-year-old Tukojirao III, the former Maharaja of the erstwhile Indore state, has ended an era. He was the only prince getting a pension (Rs. five lakh per annum) from the Government of India even after privy purses were stopped by a government decree.


Therein lies a tale of love, lust, passion and a crime that embroiled the Maharaja. 


Tukojirao had ruled his state for a mere 15 years, from 1911 to 1926, living in the wilderness for the last 52 years. Yet when he died on May 21 last, the people of Indore made a beeline to the massive Lalbagh palace, once the best garden palace in central India, to pay their last respects to the last of the royal Holkars. The rulers of Malwa since 1740.


Biggest Weakness


The biggest weakness of the public school educated Maharaja, who ascended the throne at the tender age of 13, was women. Ultimately this weakness proved to be his undoing.


Though benevolent and considerate in other matters -- as many of the rajas used to be -- the handsome prince had a roving eye. Tukojirao had to abdicate his gaddi in March 1926 because of his involvement in the Bawla murder case, which had hit the headlines in the mid-twenties.


Mr Abdul Kadir Bawla, a city father of Bombay, was murdered on January 12, 1925, and TukojiRao's involvement in it was established in the Bombay High Court. Indeed, one of the assailants was none other than the inspector general of police of the Holkar state.


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July 22, 1978






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