Though the immediate trigger for Apoorva Shukla to allegedly kill Rohit Shekhar Tiwari was his statement about having drinks with his sister-in-law from the same glass, there were multiple reasons behind the couple’s troubled relationship.
Ms. Shukla, from Indore, is an MBA graduate and a Supreme Court lawyer. She met Rohit through a matrimonial website in 2017 and they got married in May 2018. Sources said she knew that Rohit was the son of former U.P. and Uttarakhand Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari and was also aware of his medical history.
During the courtship too, the couple broke up for a few months over some disagreement, said Rohit’s mother Ujjwala, adding that they finally decided to tie the knot.
An officer said Ms. Shukla harboured political ambitions and claimed to be the national president of Indian National Trade Union Congress in Indore.
“She thought Rohit’s political career would help her. But after getting married, she realised that his career was not going anywhere, which disappointed her,” the officer added.
Ms. Shukla disliked the wife of Rohit’s cousin Rajiv and the couple often fought over her, said sources, adding that Ms. Ujjwala raised Rajiv as her own son.
“Rajiv, his wife, and their son live with Ms. Ujjwala. This helped Rohit’s sister-in-law to have a good relationship with Ms. Ujjwala. Rajiv had got married many years ago but his son was born recently and the accused suspected something amiss. No proof of an illicit relationship between Rohit and the sister-in-law has been found,” the officer said.
Property issues
Ms. Shukla was also disillusioned after becoming aware of the will. A source said according to the will, the property was to be divided in 60:40 ratio between Rohit and his half-brother Sidharth and in case of death of any of the two, the surviving son was to receive the rest.
“Sidharth has declared that his share will subsequently go to Rajiv’s son. Therefore, in terms of money, Ms. Shukla was not getting anything”.
Rohit’s family was of the view that the couple should get divorced and the matter was to be settled in June, sources added.
