Muskan, currently lodged in Meerut district jail for the alleged murder of her husband, Saurabh Rajput, and the disposal of his remains in a cement-filled blue drum, has named her newborn daughter Radha, officials said on Wednesday.
The development comes even as Saurabh’s family reiterated their demand for a DNA test to establish the child’s parentage.
Baby born on husband’s birthday
The baby was delivered at Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College on November 24, the same date as Saurabh’s birthday. According to Dr Shagun, who heads the hospital’s gynaecology department, Muskan was likely to be transferred back to jail later on Wednesday.
Child allowed to remain with mother in jail
Jail Superintendent Viresh Raj Sharma said that, as per rules, the infant can continue to stay with her mother in the women’s barrack until she turns six. Jail authorities will provide clothing, nutritional supplements, and medical care during this period.
Family insists on a DNA test
However, members of Saurabh’s family said they were not ready to accept the child without scientific confirmation. Saurabh’s brother Rahul, who had previously sought a DNA test, said he would file a fresh plea in court.
He alleged that Muskan and her partner, Sahil Shukla, first drugged and then killed Saurabh on March 4 at their Indiranagar home before cutting up the body and hiding it in a blue drum filled with cement. The two, he said, later fled to Himachal Pradesh.
Rahul also demanded DNA testing for Muskan’s elder daughter. He said the Rajput family would take responsibility for both children only if it is established that they were biologically Saurabh’s. “Otherwise,” he said, “we would keep no relation with Muskan or the newborn.” He further claimed that Muskan was “very sharp-minded” and expressed concern for the children’s safety.
Saurabh’s mother, Renu Rajput, backed the demand for DNA verification, saying the family would accept the newborn only after confirmation that she was Saurabh’s child.
Hospital rejects claim that delivery was ‘planned’
Questions raised by the family about whether Muskan deliberately timed the delivery to coincide with Saurabh’s birthday were dismissed by hospital authorities.
“The expected date of delivery is only an estimate, and only a small percentage of women deliver on a given day,” said Dr Shagun. She added that the timing of labour was “natural, and it could not have been planned”.
Jail officials added that Muskan had earlier decided she would name the baby Krishna if it were a boy.
Investigation points to long-term planning
Police investigations into the case have suggested that Muskan had been planning the killing since November 2023, with officers claiming Saurabh was murdered because he stood in the way of her relationship with Sahil.