Father Accused of killing his pregnant daughter
By Tatsuya
@Tatsuya (1149)
United States
January 2, 2008 9:41am CST
A suburban Chicago man is accused of setting an apartment fire -- killing his pregnant daughter, her husband and their young child -- because the son-in-law didn't ask permission for the marriage, prosecutors said.
Subhash Chander, 57, of Oak Forest, Illinois, was ordered held without bond Tuesday on three counts of first-degree murder, one count of intentional homicide of an unborn child and one count of aggravated arson.
Prosecutors allege Chander used gasoline to start the fire late Saturday. The India native told police he disliked his son-in-law because he belonged to a lower caste and had married his daughter without his consent, said Cook County First Assistant State's Attorney Robert Milan.
"His son-in-law was beneath him in his opinion," Milan said.
But Chander's sister, Kamla Devi, told WBBM-AM that her brother is innocent. She said that relatives approved of the marriage and that the caste system was not a consideration for her family in India, nor is it a consideration now in the United States.
Milan identified the victims as 22-year-old Monika Rani, her 36-year-old husband, Rajesh Kumar, and their 3-year-old son, Vansh. Rani was five months pregnant, Milan said.
Chander had a public defender in bond court Tuesday, Milan said, but The Associated Press was unable to determine who it was. A call to a listing for Chander reached a man who said it was a wrong number.
Chander told police the gasoline spilled during "a pushing match" with his son-in-law, Milan said. Chander also told police that he ignited the gas with a lighter because he was angry, Milan said.
But prosecutors said the victims may have been asleep. All other residents of the apartment building were able to escape, Milan said.
It took firefighters three hours to extinguish the blaze, which gutted the 36-unit Le Claire Station Apartments.
"There was no family problem. There was nothing going on. Absolutely nothing," Devi said.
Devi told the radio station that the family is from Chandigarh in northern India.
The Cook County medical examiner's office said the victims died of carbon-monoxide poisoning and smoke and soot inhalation.
I can't believe this! This is just crazy. All because the son-in-law didn't ask for his blessing, he's going to murder his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren? This man belongs behind bars for the rest of his life at least!
3 people like this
18 responses
@purposedriven (842)
• United States
2 Jan 08
Wow. I haven't turned on the TV or read the news online as yet, so coming here and seeing this posting hit me hard. The start of a brand new year and it seems as if the world has not learned anything and people are still acting in the same unlawful manner. But the world cannot change over night, and we just have to pray that it becomes better soon.
Although there are cultures around the world that believe that no one in their family should marry outside of their "social group" there is no justification for murdering innocent people. Such a shame that this criminal would end the life of his own daughter and grandchildren because he didn't approve of the husband and did not bless the marriage. You are right, he should spend the rest of his life in prison. Hopefully he will be brought to reality and repent what he did. The Lord is always watching and he is always at work...so in any case, God will be this criminal's final Judge.
What's this article's source?
@rhane7315 (5649)
• Philippines
24 Apr 08
that man was very stupid and ridiculous. he's very selfish 
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
12 Jan 08
Yet another horrible story about someone committing a horrible murder, made even worse when it's someone from their own flesh and blood! There's just no more t say other than I hope he rots in prison and gets beaten to a pulp by his fellow inmates on a regular basis.
Annie
1 person likes this
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
23 Apr 08
I can't believe that someone would actually kill their own child and grandchildren regardless of the feelings for the husband. I do know that in some countries they have some very backward ways of thinking.
I seem to recall a country over in the Middle East...not sure which one...that if a woman is raped she is considered to be at fault and tainted. She's pretty much further ahead to kill herself then have to live with the shame of allowing it to happen. To me that's messed up thinking but over there it's how it is done.
Some of those countries put alot of importance on asking permission to marry and social status...this man is going to learn that in the U.S. you don't get to kill ppl b/c you don't like them or their choices.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~
1 person likes this
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
3 Jan 08
I know many Indians in Mylot will be hating me for this, but I have to say that many of my fellow countrymen migrate to first-world countries in search of a better lifystyle but they forget that for a family to develop comprehensively, one has also to introspect and change from within the superstitions and faulty age-old beliefs and embrace the enriching contributions of modernity. Money and education are not enough to change the mindset of people and the curse of caste distinction and division of society based on this, has been India’s bane even 60 years after independence. What this man did is exactly what he would have done in his native place and maybe with the tacit support of the neighbours and authorities too!
1 person likes this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
3 Jan 08
That is just terrible. I understand the cultural differences, but I don't think these people realize, without a doubt, that murder IS WRONG. No matter what you're doing it for, isn't a little embarrassment and a sore ego, better than tarnishing your soul because you murdered someone? I just don't understand these people. Where are their morals?
1 person likes this
@marymarj2002 (1769)
• Philippines
3 Jan 08
This is not a good news and very sad one. How can he do it with the family of his own child because of one big mistake they made against him? How can a father who is suppose to be the protector of his child dared to kill his own child? My question is is he on his own mind? Or maybe there is something wrong with him pyschologically?
1 person likes this
@eyewitness (1575)
• Netherlands
3 Jan 08
Yeah now you're talking about India.And maybe you have seen the oprah winfrey show about that country where husbands just burn their wifes because they didn't prepared good meal and then they leave her and the worst part is that she will be pushed away by everyone even sometimes by her family.It doesn't make sense and the woman are protesting against it,but it's not fair because the husband does not get arrested for his crime.Sometimes they throw something in her face and her whole face is ruined.
It's sick and insane but those people cannot be stopped because authorities don't help the women.
@theprogamer (10534)
• United States
2 Jan 08
/facepalm. /temple rub.
While I actually don't mind if a parent has beliefs (ala wanting the son-in-law to ask for blessings) and other traditional mindsets like that. The murder is completely unforgivable, as is taking tradition to that kind of extent. It's your own daughter, carrying your grandchild! And to murder...its just hard to process, really.
1 person likes this
@rockvixen (894)
• United States
2 Jan 08
How horrifying! So unfair for the daughter and everyone else. Just because the son in law didn't ask pemission to marry his daughter, then he had to go and kill them for it? This man should be in jail for a long time. He took innoccent lives away, his OWN grandkids and his OWN daughter? Why? Because of the son in law not asking permission to marry? Stupidiy and tragic. I hope this man suffers for what he did.
1 person likes this
@chooochy (356)
•
3 Jan 08
in my opinion, if a religion causes a human to commit such a horrific act then it is not a religion that should be welcomed in any culture!!!
unfortuately in such a PC day and age, where will people draw the line as to what is acceptable from a religous stance?
The world is turning into a crazy place and i fear for our chldren.
1 person likes this
@proudmamma1 (40)
• United States
3 Jan 08
that is crazy but a lot of religios are like that they must ask the father before preposing to a lady. that sad a father could to that to his own daughter and grandchild
@milondali07 (334)
• United States
2 Jan 08
Sometimes, we don't understand other people's cultures. Sometimes their cultures are very outrageous to us. To us, people from other cultures do very barbaric things such as this. One thing that all cultures need to understand is violence isn't the answer, everyone has one life to live, no one has the right to take a life under any circumstances but self-defense. Especially taking the lives of innocence. Taking their own family member's life and their own grandchild, I'm pretty sure that is not in their bible. This man does behind bars, from what he's done, you can see that he's dangerous, he probably has no shame and no regret, because of anger. The only thing I wonder is if they knew that he could be capable of that, people who think that someone would do that to them need to be careful for their safety. It's sad that it had to end that way.
