Accused in ‘blue drum’ murder moved to Meerut jail barrack with newborn

Muskan, accused in the ‘blue drum’ murder of her husband, has been shifted to Meerut jail’s Barrack 12A with her newborn daughter after being discharged from hospital. Jail officials said both are healthy, though no DNA test request has been made yet

Meerut (UP): (PTI) Muskan, jailed in connection with the gruesome murder of her husband and cementing his body inside a blue drum, has been shifted to Barrack 12A of Meerut jail along with her newborn daughter, officials said on Thursday.

She gave birth to a girl child at Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College on November 24 and was discharged on Wednesday afternoon. Jail Superintendent Viresh Raj Sharma told PTI that both Muskan and the child are healthy, and the newborn will receive vaccinations in the jail premises.

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He said the jail administration has not initiated a DNA test as no party has given a written request so far. Family members of her slain husband, Saurabh Rajput, had earlier told the media that they want a DNA test done to confirm the newborn’s paternity.

Muskan and her daughter have been placed in Barrack 12A, which houses 21 female prisoners and three young children apart from them. Jail sources said that upon her arrival in the barracks, other female inmates congratulated Muskan on the birth of her daughter.

Meanwhile, no relative, either of Muskan or her late husband, visited the jail to see the newborn. Her parents, Pramod Rastogi and Kavita, continue to care for her elder daughter, Pihu. Senior Superintendent Dr Sharma said doctors in the jail will regularly monitor the health of both the mother and the child.

Muskan is being provided with nutritious meals. She will not be assigned any jail work for the time being; light duties may be assigned after a month. Facilities such as a creche are available for children, and the baby will also be registered with the jail’s anganwadi. All necessary items will be provided for the mother and the child according to jail guidelines, he said.

Muskan and her boyfriend, Sahil Shukla, were arrested for murdering her husband, Saurabh Rajput, on March 4 at his home in Meerut’s Indiranagar. According to the FIR, the couple allegedly dismembered Saurabh’s body, placed it in a blue drum filled with cement, and then fled to Himachal Pradesh. Muskan later informed her family about the incident, leading to the police registering a case.