A harrowed British mother, whose eight-year campaign for justice for her slain teenaged daughter, just came to naught last week, now wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant her justice, the Nirbhaya way.
After a trial court in Goa acquitted two beach shack workers of culpable homicide and sexual assault charges following a two-year-long investigation and a six-year trial, Fiona Mackeown in her letter to Modi has said: “Having followed the Nirbhaya case, I believe that the Indian criminal justice system has the minds and the ability to provide justice in months rather than years”.
Fiona wants Modi to order the setting up of a special investigation team, which she said should once again conduct a probe into her daughter’s death, as well as book those who have destroyed evidence and the drug mafia in Goa, which she claims is responsible for sabotaging the investigation.
According to documents which were brought on record by the prosecution during the trial, Scarlett was allegedly sexually assaulted by D’Souza and Carvalho, in February 2008 after plying her with drugs and left to die at the Anjuna beach. After eight years, since the offence was registered the Goa Children’s Court on Friday had acquitted the duo due to lack of evidence.
The case was first investigated by the Goa Police, whose probe was riddled with inconsistencies and constant petitioning by the Devon, UK born Fiona, resulted in the case being transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
But both Fiona as well as her lawyer, now claim that the CBI probe may have been compromised.
“Keeping in mind the observations of the trial court, that the conduct of the CBI seems to have been compromised. That they could not arrest other people who had committed crimes, used cocaine, etc and the fact that the acquittal was done due to lack of evidence, we understand that this case required not only to be looked at from the perspective of limited evidence available, but also to investigate and prosecute those who have destroyed evidence,” her lawyer Vikram Varma said on Thursday.
“People selling cocaine have not been arrested.. . No arrest made against drug mafia or buying and selling cocaine. The judge has rightly commented where the investigation should have charged other people in the crime. She (judge) has cast doubts on the integrity of the CBI and at that point of time it does seem to the judge that they were under influence,” Varma also said.
In light of such claims of bungling, Fiona claims she only stands a fair chance of justice if she pitches to the highest office of the land: that of Prime Minister.
“I obviously hope, but I will try not to have any expectation against after the verdict in court. I think I have got more of a chance of getting a fair response form the prime minister, therefore we thought he would be the best person to go to rather than local judicial authority,” she told The Pioneer.
