Even as they are continuing to receive brickbats for their lapses in the probe into the death of a ten-year-old girl, allegedly a victim of brutal sexual assault, in Kundara in Kollam district, the Kerala Police have taken into custody nine persons, including the girl's mother, close relatives and neighbours. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan admitted in the State Assembly that there were serious flaws in the initial police investigations.
S Surendran, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Kollam, told newsmen on Thursday that there were serious flaws in the investigation into the girl's death in the initial stages. The investigators should have been more alert, he said, adding that the aspect of mystery surrounding the girl's death had not been looked into properly.
Inspector General of Police (Thiruvananthapuram Range) Manoj Abraham placed a Circle Inspector and a Sub Inspector under suspension from service for their lapses in the investigation. Surendran, who supervises the probe currently, said that ten police teams under two DySPs had been engaged in the probe for which a special Cyber Cell team had also been constituted.
The minor girl, a Class 6 student, was found hanging from a window-frame with legs touching the floor at the house of her mother at Nanthirikkal near Kundara on January 15. The postmortem report had suggested that the death could have been a case of suicide but it had also said that the girl had possibly been a victim of continued and brutal sexual abuse.
As per a 'suicide note' found near the body, she had resorted to the extreme measure due to the continuous quarrel between her father and mother who were living separately. The girl was living with the mother. Despite the mysteries surrounding the death and the mention of rape in the postmortem report, the police had failed to hold a serious probe for the past two months.
Top police officials had received the postmortem report, which had mentions about continued and brutal sexual abuse, a day after the death. The report had also said that there were 22 injuries in the body including in the private parts.
Despite all this, they had failed to launch a proper probe though registered a case for unnatural death.
Even after questioning the detainees for several hours, the police could not collect any vital information on the death of the girl in Kundara as they were giving contradictory statements.
SP Surendran indicated that the girl's relatives including the mother were not cooperating with the probe while sources said arrests in the case could get delayed further because of this.
The SP, who took over the probe on Thursday, inspected the house where the girl was found dead. The police would once again record the statement of the doctor who had carried out the postmortem to get details about the nature and time of sexual assault on the girl.
Coming close on the heels of the controversy regarding the police's lapses in the probe into the mysterious death of two sisters aged 12 and nine, who were allegedly victims of sexual assault, at Attappallam near Walayar in Palakkad district, the Kundara incident has generated a feeling that the lDF Government cannot ensure proper investigations in cases of sexual abuse.
Raising the Kundara issue in the Assembly through a submission, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said it was similar to the incident at Attappallam. He pointed out that the police had refused to act even after the father of the girl had repeatedly requested for a fair probe into her death as he did not believe the theory that his daughter had committed suicide.
Replying to the submission, Chief Minister Pinarayi, who is also holding the Home portfolio, admitted in the House that there had been lapses on the part of the police but pointed out that two erring officials had been suspended from service. He also claimed that the investigation into the matter was progressing effectively.