Nidhi, the so-called “friend” of Anjali Singh, the 20-year-old hit and drag victim, was in the spotlight on Wednesday. The family doctor of the victim denied she was under any influence of alcohol at the time of her tragic accident and cited that the post mortem report, too, had no mention of it, contradicting Nidhi’s claims in this regard a day earlier.
While the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal called for a probe against the “friend”, the victim’s family said Nidhi was lying and should be charged with murder. The family also demanded a CBI inquiry into Anjali’s death.
Anjali’s family said they had never seen or heard of the “friend” who was with the 20-year-old killed when she was dragged under the car. Anjali’s mother told reporters that her daughter has never had alcohol in her life. “I never seen or heard of Nidhi. She never visited our home. She is lying. My daughter never consumed alcohol. She never came home drunk. Nidhi is lying,” Rekha Devi said.
"Nidhi and her family should have informed the police about the incident. Nidhi should be interrogated. She too is involved. We demand CBI enquiry in the case," Anjali's maternal uncle Prem told media persons.
The FSL report has revealed that the victim was stuck onto the front wheel of the vehicle. The report said most of the blood stains were found behind the front left wheel and that, so far, there are no signs to indicate that the woman was inside the car.
The FSL report said blood stains were also found on other parts under the car. The forensic lab is expected to submit three reports to the Delhi Police
Anjali's family doctor Bhupesh said according to the autopsy report, there was food inside the stomach. "If she had been drunk, the report would have mentioned the presence of a chemical. But the report says only food has been detected (inside the stomach).
Bhupesh said this was not a normal murder. "A murder is considered sadistic when a victim is brutally tortured before death. As per the autopsy report, she suffered 40 injuries," the doctor said.
Recalling the fateful night, Anjali's friend, who was traced by the police after they examined the CCTV footage, said they had gone to meet some friends at a hotel on New Year's eve and alleged that despite being "drunk", the victim wanted to ride the scooter after the party.
Contrary to other eyewitness accounts, Nidhi asserted that no music was playing in the car that hit them and claimed that the driver was aware that Anjali was being dragged under the wheels.
(DCW) chief Swati Maliwal urged people to stop questioning the morals of the victim in the aftermath of claims made by Nidhi. "Anjali's friend has put the blame on her. She was with Anjali when the accident happened. She left from the spot and went home. Didn't she feel the need to inform (the) police or Anjali's family about what had happened?
"She could have followed the car that was dragging Anjali, who must have been crying for help. She could have done something so that Anjali's life could have been saved. What kind of friend is she?," Maliwal said.
"She died a painful death. She was dragged on Delhi's roads for 12 kilometres and her body was found naked. The claims of her friend need to be investigated. Anjali should not be blamed for what happened to her. The accused should be hanged," she added.
"According to the preliminary findings, there are no signs that the woman was present inside the car. Blood stains were also found on parts under the car," sources said.
The forensic lab is expected to submit three reports to the Delhi Police in connection with the case, they said. Of the three reports that are to be submitted, the first reports deals with the blood samples taken from the accident spot, another with the blood samples collected from the five accused, and the third on recreation of the crime scene, they said.
Sanjeev Gupta, head of the crime scene management division at FSL said, "On Wednesday, our four-member team went to Sultanpuri police station to re-examine the offending vehicle as part of investigation."
The blood samples of the five accused were received on Tuesday to ascertain if it has alcohol traces, the official said. Deepa Verma, Director, FSL said, "The case has been taken on priority and we will be submitting the reports at the earliest."
Anjali was killed in the early hours of the New Year after her scooter was hit by a car, which dragged her for 12 kilometres. Her body was found in outer Delhi's Kanjhawala. Five men who were allegedly in the car have been booked for culpable homicide among other sections. All five accused were sent to three-day police custody on Monday.