Vishal Agarwal, father of murder victim Ketan Agarwal, has written to President Droupadi Murmu seeking a fast-track court hearing and the strictest punishment for the accused in his son's killing. The email, sent to the secretary to the President on Wednesday, 9 July, comes as the family continues to reel from a double tragedy — losing both Ketan and his grandfather within 20 days of each other.

A Father's Plea

In the email, Vishal Agarwal described the grief that has consumed his family since Ketan's alleged murder on 18 June. 'I am writing this email with a heart full of pain and hope. I am not writing as a businessman or someone with influence,' he wrote, adding in Hindi: 'Main sirf ek baap hoon, jo apne bete ke liye insaaf maang raha hai (I am writing as a father seeking justice for his son).'

He recounted the unrelenting anguish that has gripped the family: 'Every morning we wake up with the same pain, and every night we sleep with the same question: When will Ketan get justice?'

Double Tragedy: Son and Grandfather Lost Within 20 Days

Vishal Agarwal disclosed that the grief did not end with Ketan's death. His own father — Ketan's grandfather — died within 20 days of the murder, reportedly unable to bear the shock. 'He loved his grandson more than anything. His blood pressure dropped, and eventually his heart stopped working. In just 20 days, I lost both my son and my father. Our family has been shattered,' he wrote.

The compounded loss lends particular urgency to the family's appeal, with Vishal stating that delays in justice 'only increase the pain of families like ours.'

What the Family Has Demanded

Vishal Agarwal appealed for the case to be transferred to a fast-track court and urged that the accused receive the strictest punishment permissible under Indian law. He also called on the President to personally intervene. 'The guilty should not feel that they can escape or delay the consequences of such a cruel crime. A strong punishment will not only give us some peace, but it will also send a message that innocent lives matter and that such crimes will never be tolerated,' he wrote.

He ended with an emotional appeal: 'Please don't let my son's case become just another file. Behind this case is a family that has lost everything.'

The Lohagad Fort Murder: What Police Have Said

Ketan Agarwal was allegedly murdered at Lohagad Fort near Pune on 18 June, according to police. The accused, as identified by investigators, are his fiancée Siya and her friend and suspected lover Chetan Babulal Chaudhary. The case has drawn significant public attention given the circumstances of the alleged crime.

With the family's appeal now before the President's office, all eyes are on whether authorities will expedite proceedings or allow the case to move at the standard pace of the judicial system.