(Left) Juhi’s parents AN Prasad and Sujata Prasad and residents take out a candle march at Kargil Chowk in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Nov. 8: Residents of the state capital today took out a candle march demanding justice for 24-year-old Juhi Prasad, who was allegedly burnt to death last month by a woman allegedly having an affair with her would-be husband.

Seventeen days after her alleged murder, Juhi’s parents, Patna High Court advocate A.N. Prasad and Sujata, and well-wishers, including school students, took out a march from SK Memorial Hall to Kargil Chowk this evening demanding “Justice for Juhi”.

According to Prasad, Juhi, who worked at Luthra and Luthra Law Firm in New Delhi, rushed to her fiancé Nimesh Sinha, 27, in Pune on October 12 after receiving a frantic call from his mother. The next evening, Prasad rushed to Pune learning his daughter was admitted to Inamdar Multispeciality Hospital in the Fatima Nagar area with burn injuries.

Juhi had sustained 90 per cent burn injuries. Anushree Kundra, a 30-year-old divorcee having a live-in relationship with Nimesh, had allegedly set her on fire following an argument among the three on October 12 night.

Juhi succumbed to her injuries on October 22.

About a fortnight after Juhi passed away, Pune police chief Meeran Borwankar transferred the case to the crime branch.

Confirming the development, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), crime, Mahesh Bansode told The Telegraph: “The investigations have been transferred from Wanowrie police to the crime branch and unit IV has been assigned the probe. After receiving the case papers two days ago, we have begun our investigations. We have sent out teams to different cities to trace the prime suspect, Anushree.”

According to police sources, Nimesh and Anushree were in a live-in relationship for four years during their previous job in Gurgaon and later in Pune. Anushree’s 12 year-old son lives with her former husband in Bangalore.

Anushree and Nimesh had developed differences after the latter was engaged to Juhi, a relative of BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the police said.

Earlier today, Juhi’s father told The Telegraph that his daughter was in a relationship with Nimesh, who worked with Global Step Private Limited in Pune, for almost a year.

Pune police said Nimesh, a software engineer, invited an upset Anushree to his rented flat at Salunkhe Vihar in Wanowrie on October 12 to counsel her in the presence of his fiancée Juhi, who often visited him.

“The counselling session went on through the night. According to Nimesh, he tried to convince Anushree that he was now engaged to Juhi, and that she should accept this fact, and leave them alone. We have eyewitness accounts confirming that Anushree set the couple afire inside their bedroom on the morning of October 13,” said senior inspector of Wanowrie police station B.D. Mohite.

Juhi’s father, however, had a different story to tell.

“Juhi reached Nimesh’s flat late in the evening to find Anushree with him. This resulted in a heated argument among the three that continued the whole night. Around 5am, Anushree suddenly changed gears and said she would leave by the day. She asked Nimesh and Juhi to go and sleep in the bedroom. My daughter was alive for 10 days after getting burnt and she told me everything. Anushree had requested Juhi to keep the bedroom door open, which she agreed to. Once Juhi and Nimesh fell asleep, Anushree apparently went to a nearby petrol station and bought petrol. She came back and poured the fuel on my daughter and set her on fire. Pune police said she fled taking the laptop of Nimesh. I don’t think it is at all possible,” Prasad added.

Juhi’s family wants the police to interrogate Nimesh. The DCP (crime), Pune, said: “We will question him. As I told you, the case has just been transferred to us. Our investigation is currently focused on tracing Anushree.”

Prasad said: “Nimesh is still living in the same flat with his mother. Why aren’t the police touching him?”