On New Year’s Eve, 42-year-old Archana Gupta, an architect and a mother of two, went to a party with her husband at BJP leader and former JDU MLA Raju Singh’s farmhouse in Delhi's Vasant Kunj. Here, at around midnight, Archana was fatally injured by celebratory gunshots, allegedly fired by Singh himself.
Archana, a resident of Delhi, died from her injuries on Thursday, 3 January.
Archana’s husband, as per a report in The Indian Express, stated that around 12 am on New Year’s eve, Singh fired two or three rounds of celebratory gunshots. At this point, he “saw his wife Archana fall down, bleeding profusely,”
Raju Singh, who was previously absconding, has now been arrested and sent to seven-day police custody, ANI reported.
Life and Research
According to Archana Gupta's Facebook profile, she did her schooling from Loreto Convent. She was also an alumnus of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
Later in life, Archana did extensive research on traditional and vernacular Indian settlements, and authored the book, Celebrating Public Space of India.
She was also the co-founder of Foundation of the Indian Cities, and the Vice- President (Projects) for KPDK Buildtech Pvt Ltd.
Condolences from The Council of Architecture
The Council of Architecture expressed their shock and sadness at the news of Archana’s death.
“This indeed is not only an irreparable loss to her family, but entire architectural fraternity.”Council of Architecture
Archana is survived by husband Vikas Gupta and two children.
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