Lakhimpur girl case: CB-CID probe, fresh post-mortem ordered

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Lucknow, Jun 13 (PTI) Under fire from opposition
parties, the north Indian state Uttar Pradesh government has
ordered a CB-CID (Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation
Department) probe into the alleged rape and murder of a
14-year-old girl in the premises of a police station in
Lakhimpur district and a fresh post-mortem.
After the case sparked outrage, the government
dismissed the earlier post-mortem report which said that death
was caused due to asphyxia and ordered a new post-mortem of
the victim by a panel of doctors from other districts.
An FIR has been lodged against a sub-inspector and two
policemen for allegedly tampering with evidence.
Missing since Friday evening, the girl was found
hanging from a tree inside the premises of Nighasan Police
Station. The victim's mother in her complaint had alleged that
the girl was raped and murdered.
Police Commissioner, Lucknow, Prashant Trivedi told
reporters that "The standard operating procedure is that
whenever a scene of crime is there, the scene should be left
undisturbed as such but in this case it was not done. So we
have held that as tampering and we have taken a strong view of
it. We have lodged an FIR against a sub inspector and two
constables."
"Whenever there is death in police premises, it not
like a normal death elsewhere, so more than normal precautions
should be taken into any aspect of handling the case. We are
very serious about getting to the truth in the matter. Right
now we have visited the scene of the crime along with the
mother of the victim," he said.
"In this case we felt that during post-mortem a lady
doctor should have been present and the chief minister has
reviewed the matter," he said.
The CB-CID has been asked to submit its report within
a week's time.
Eleven policemen posted at Nighasan Police Station
were suspended after the girl's body was found.
The incident has been condemned by opposition parties
with Uttar Pradesh Congress Committe ( UPCC ) chief Rita
Bahuguna Joshi saying, "It is a very shocking incident.
Government is shielding the culprits. Police stations are not
functional."
Indian Minister of State for Surface Transport Jitin
Prasad said the incident was an example of "deteriorating" law
and order situation in the state.
Terming it as a "barbaric" incident, senior Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) leader Kalraj Mishra said, "Suspension of
policemen is nothing more than farce."
The Samajwadi Party said that a fact-finding committee
of the SP led by Leader of the Opposition in Vidhan Parishad
Ahmad Hasan would be visiting Nighasan on June 14.
National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson
Yasmeen Abrar said, "We will take suo moto cognisance of the
incident. People are suffering under the UP government. It is
indifferent to people's plight."
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had Sunday
decided to send a probe team to the spot.
"The Commission has decided to depute its
investigation team for conducting an on the spot inquiry into
the incident. It has also decided to issue notice to the
Director General Police of the state, calling for a detailed
report in the incident within four weeks," an NHRC
spokesperson said in New Delhi.
Lakhimpur Police had Sunday ruled out that the girl,
who was found hanging inside the premises of a police station
in Nighasan, was murdered citing the post-mortem report.
"The post-mortem report mentioned asphyxia, as a
result of hanging, the cause of death which rules out the
allegation of murder," Superintendent of Police D K Rai had
said.
He said there was no injury mark on the victim's body
though there was a minor abrasion on her right leg. PTI AVA
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