A tragedy that shocked India culminated in a life sentence for Punjilal Meher, who was found guilty for a deadly parcel bomb attack on a newlywed couple. This incident, which took place shortly after the couple's wedding in February 2018, resulted in the death of Soumya Sekhar Sahu and his great aunt while leaving his wife, Reema, critically injured.
'Life Sentence for "Wedding Bomb" Murderer in India: A Shocking Case Unfolded'
'Life Sentence for "Wedding Bomb" Murderer in India: A Shocking Case Unfolded'
A former college principal sentenced to life imprisonment for a bomb attack that killed a newlywed and his relative.
In a court ruling in Odisha, Meher, 56, was convicted of murder, attempted murder, and using explosives. While the prosecution labeled the act as heinous, the court did not deem it a "rarest of the rare" case warranting the death penalty, thus awarding him life imprisonment instead.
The bomb, disguised as a wedding gift, was sent from Chhattisgarh, over 230 kilometers away. When Reema opened the package, the explosion ensued, resulting in the tragic loss of life and suffering. Following a thorough investigation, Meher was apprehended after police unravelled a complex motive rooted in professional rivalry and personal vendetta against the victim's family. Despite his initial denials, evidence and a handwritten letter led investigators back to him.
The bomb's sophisticated conception involved meticulous planning and evasion of security protocols, reinforcing the depth of malice in the crime. The case has reverberated through Indian society, raising questions around safety and security tied to societal relationships.
As the community mourns the loss of the victims and seeks a semblance of closure, the "wedding bomb" case remains a stark reminder of the darker undercurrents that can exist within professional and personal alliances in a rapidly evolving society.
This harrowing case and its details reveal profound societal issues, pushing for broader dialogue around safety and trust in personal relationships as well as professional rivalries.
---
**Article Text:**
A former college principal in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has been sentenced to life in prison for sending a parcel bomb that killed a newlywed man and his great aunt in 2018. A court found Punjilal Meher, 56, guilty of murder, attempted murder, and use of explosives in what became known as the "wedding bomb" case that stunned India. The bomb, disguised as a wedding gift, was delivered to the home of Soumya Sekhar Sahu, a 26-year-old software engineer, just days after his wedding. When the couple opened the package, it exploded - killing Sahu and his great aunt, and leaving his wife, Reema, who opened the package, critically wounded.
While acknowledging the prosecution's argument that it was a "heinous" crime, the court declined to classify it as a "rarest of the rare" case deserving the death penalty. The BBC covered the incident in a detailed two-part investigative series. The February 2018 explosion took place in Patnagarh, a quiet town in Odisha's Bolangir district. The victims had been married just five days and were preparing lunch when a parcel arrived at their home. It was addressed to Soumya and appeared to be a wedding gift, allegedly sent from Raipur in Chhattisgarh state, over 230 km (142 miles) away.
As Soumya pulled a thread on the parcel to open it, a powerful blast tore through the kitchen, killing him and his 85-year-old great-aunt Jemamani Sahu. Reema, then 22, survived with serious burns, a punctured eardrum, and trauma. After a prolonged investigation, police arrested Meher, then 49, a teacher and former principal of a local college where Soumya's mother worked. Investigators had told me then that Meher harbored a grudge over professional rivalry and meticulously planned the attack. He used a false name and address to mail the bomb from Raipur, choosing a courier service without CCTV or parcel scanning.
The bomb travelled over 650 km by bus, passing through multiple hands before being delivered. Investigators said it was a crude but deadly device wrapped in jute thread, rigged to detonate on opening. The parcel carrying the explosive bore a fake name - SK Sharma from Raipur. Weeks passed with no clear suspects. Investigators scoured thousands of phone records and interrogated over 100 people, including one man who had made a threatening call after Reema's engagement - but nothing stuck.
Then, in April, an anonymous letter reached the local police chief. It claimed the bomb had been sent under the name "SK Sinha," not Sharma, and cryptically mentioned motives of "betrayal" and money. The letter claimed three men had "undertaken the project" and were now "beyond police reach." It cited the groom's "betrayal" and money - hinting at a scorned lover or property dispute - as motives. It also asked police to stop harassing innocents. The letter turned the investigation.
Arun Bothra, a police officer who then headed Odisha's crime branch, noticed that the handwriting on the parcel's receipt had been misread: it did resemble "Sinha" more than "Sharma." Crucially, the letter writer seemed to know this - something only the sender could have known. The police now believed the suspect had sent the letter himself. "It was clear that the sender knew more about the crime than we did. By writing that it was being sent by a messenger, he wanted to tell us that the crime was not the work of a local man. He wanted to tell us that the plot was executed by three people. He wanted to be taken seriously, so he was kind of blowing his fake cover by pointing out a mistake we had made," Mr. Bothra told me in 2018.
The victim's mother, a college teacher, recognised the letter's writing style and phraseology as that of a colleague, Meher, a former principal she had replaced. Police had previously dismissed Meher's workplace rivalry as routine academic politics. Now he became the prime suspect. Under questioning, Meher initially offered an implausible story about being forced to deliver the letter under threat. Police allege he later confessed: he had hoarded firecrackers during Diwali, extracted gunpowder, built the bomb, and mailed it from Raipur using a courier. He allegedly left his phone at home to create an alibi and avoided CCTV by not buying a train ticket. Meher had even attended both the victim's wedding and funeral.
The bomb, disguised as a wedding gift, was sent from Chhattisgarh, over 230 kilometers away. When Reema opened the package, the explosion ensued, resulting in the tragic loss of life and suffering. Following a thorough investigation, Meher was apprehended after police unravelled a complex motive rooted in professional rivalry and personal vendetta against the victim's family. Despite his initial denials, evidence and a handwritten letter led investigators back to him.
The bomb's sophisticated conception involved meticulous planning and evasion of security protocols, reinforcing the depth of malice in the crime. The case has reverberated through Indian society, raising questions around safety and security tied to societal relationships.
As the community mourns the loss of the victims and seeks a semblance of closure, the "wedding bomb" case remains a stark reminder of the darker undercurrents that can exist within professional and personal alliances in a rapidly evolving society.
This harrowing case and its details reveal profound societal issues, pushing for broader dialogue around safety and trust in personal relationships as well as professional rivalries.
---
**Article Text:**
A former college principal in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has been sentenced to life in prison for sending a parcel bomb that killed a newlywed man and his great aunt in 2018. A court found Punjilal Meher, 56, guilty of murder, attempted murder, and use of explosives in what became known as the "wedding bomb" case that stunned India. The bomb, disguised as a wedding gift, was delivered to the home of Soumya Sekhar Sahu, a 26-year-old software engineer, just days after his wedding. When the couple opened the package, it exploded - killing Sahu and his great aunt, and leaving his wife, Reema, who opened the package, critically wounded.
While acknowledging the prosecution's argument that it was a "heinous" crime, the court declined to classify it as a "rarest of the rare" case deserving the death penalty. The BBC covered the incident in a detailed two-part investigative series. The February 2018 explosion took place in Patnagarh, a quiet town in Odisha's Bolangir district. The victims had been married just five days and were preparing lunch when a parcel arrived at their home. It was addressed to Soumya and appeared to be a wedding gift, allegedly sent from Raipur in Chhattisgarh state, over 230 km (142 miles) away.
As Soumya pulled a thread on the parcel to open it, a powerful blast tore through the kitchen, killing him and his 85-year-old great-aunt Jemamani Sahu. Reema, then 22, survived with serious burns, a punctured eardrum, and trauma. After a prolonged investigation, police arrested Meher, then 49, a teacher and former principal of a local college where Soumya's mother worked. Investigators had told me then that Meher harbored a grudge over professional rivalry and meticulously planned the attack. He used a false name and address to mail the bomb from Raipur, choosing a courier service without CCTV or parcel scanning.
The bomb travelled over 650 km by bus, passing through multiple hands before being delivered. Investigators said it was a crude but deadly device wrapped in jute thread, rigged to detonate on opening. The parcel carrying the explosive bore a fake name - SK Sharma from Raipur. Weeks passed with no clear suspects. Investigators scoured thousands of phone records and interrogated over 100 people, including one man who had made a threatening call after Reema's engagement - but nothing stuck.
Then, in April, an anonymous letter reached the local police chief. It claimed the bomb had been sent under the name "SK Sinha," not Sharma, and cryptically mentioned motives of "betrayal" and money. The letter claimed three men had "undertaken the project" and were now "beyond police reach." It cited the groom's "betrayal" and money - hinting at a scorned lover or property dispute - as motives. It also asked police to stop harassing innocents. The letter turned the investigation.
Arun Bothra, a police officer who then headed Odisha's crime branch, noticed that the handwriting on the parcel's receipt had been misread: it did resemble "Sinha" more than "Sharma." Crucially, the letter writer seemed to know this - something only the sender could have known. The police now believed the suspect had sent the letter himself. "It was clear that the sender knew more about the crime than we did. By writing that it was being sent by a messenger, he wanted to tell us that the crime was not the work of a local man. He wanted to tell us that the plot was executed by three people. He wanted to be taken seriously, so he was kind of blowing his fake cover by pointing out a mistake we had made," Mr. Bothra told me in 2018.
The victim's mother, a college teacher, recognised the letter's writing style and phraseology as that of a colleague, Meher, a former principal she had replaced. Police had previously dismissed Meher's workplace rivalry as routine academic politics. Now he became the prime suspect. Under questioning, Meher initially offered an implausible story about being forced to deliver the letter under threat. Police allege he later confessed: he had hoarded firecrackers during Diwali, extracted gunpowder, built the bomb, and mailed it from Raipur using a courier. He allegedly left his phone at home to create an alibi and avoided CCTV by not buying a train ticket. Meher had even attended both the victim's wedding and funeral.
