Asma Javed, the first woman to contest the Aligarh Muslim University polls, was found dead in her flat on Wednesday.
Asma Javed, who was found dead in her apartment on Wednesday in Aligarh, was murdered by a man she was involved with, the police said today, after arresting him.
The accused, Javedul Hasan, is a hardware businessman from Aligarh and knew Ms Javed for about a year. According to the police, the two had frequent fights lately over Mr Hasan's suspicion that she was talking to other men. On April 8, Mr Hasan tried to check her tablet, angering Ms Javed. "Though the accused says he did not mean to kill her but that evening the two had a fight where he strangled her in anger," said Aligarh DIG Govind Agarwal.
Ms Javed had been living on her own since her husband reportedly left for South America in 2007.
Ms Javed, 28, made headlines when she became the first woman to run for student body president at the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University. She completed her PhD two years ago. Her family said she was a vocal campaigner for women's rights and hoped to enroll soon for a teaching course.
Ms Javed, the police said, had been dead for a few days before neigbours phoned to complain of a stench in an around her apartment in the Civil Lines area of Aligarh.
"I hadn't spoken to her since May 9. The neighbours kept saying there was a horrible smell from her flat. Our uncle also stays nearby. I went to the police and we got the door opened," said Salman Javed, her brother.
"The body was completely decomposed. We are investigating how she died," said Shrikrishan, a senior police officer, to NDTV yesterday.
Some cash and her tablet were missing from the apartment.