Lt Governor urges Puducherry govt to ensure speedy probe into minor girl's murder

Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday urged Chief Minister N Rangaswamy to ensure that an expeditious and detailed investigation is conducted into the alleged murder of a minor girl in the union territory recently.

In a letter to the Chief Minister after a meeting with the Director General of Police Srinivas at her office here Thursday, she said the Police department should accord top priority to investigating the case.

A release from the Lt Governor's office quoted her as saying in the letter that the incident (murder of the nine-year-old girl) a few days ago was ''most agonising.'' ''The heinous crime against the girl had shattered the conscience of the entire society. It is absolutely necessary that there should be an expeditious and detailed enquiry into the crime,'' she added. Soundararajan stated in her missive that as per the assurance she gave to the bereaved family when she visited them to pay last respects to the girl, ''a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up with senior police officers to hold the probe.'' The Lt Governor said the investigation had since been handed over to the SIT and added that it (the SIT) should have the services of a special forensic team as that would further help expedite the investigation. ''There is also a need to have a coordinated functioning by all so that the people's faith in the government is ensured. This would also help establish law and order in keeping with the expectations of the people at large,'' she added. Senior police officials of the Union Territory took part in the meeting with the Lt Governor.

The release further said Soundararajan directed the police officials that the investigation should be conducted expeditiously and those involved in the murder of the girl should be identified so that deterrent punishment could be handed to them. She called for increased vigil so that there would be no room for recurrence of such crimes anywhere in the Union Territory. Meanwhile, the body of the girl was laid to rest Thursday in Muthialpet block. A large number of people attended the funeral and slogans were raised by a section of them urging the government to take stern action against drug peddlers. The Police department also saw a reshuffle of officials attached to the Muthialpet station within whose limits the girl's house was located. The girl's body was found in a sack in a drain near the girl's house on Tuesday. Police said G Vivekanandan (52) and M Kakka alias Karunaas (19) have been arrested in connection with the murder of the girl. Cases have been registered under different sections of the IPC including section 302 (punishment for murder), a release said.

Police have also registered cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and also under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act read with section 34 of the IPC.

The opposition AIADMK and parties affiliated to the INDIA bloc including the Congress, the DMK and the VCK have called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh in Puducherry on Friday to protest against ''failure of the government in preventing atrocities on girl children and also to curb the drug menace.'' Schools have declared a holiday on Friday in view of the bandh.