Rape & death of Kerala sisters: NCSC may ask govt to transfer case to CBI

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) may ask Kerala to transfer the case of rape and suspicious death of two minor girls to the CBI for a thorough probe, its vice-chairman L Murugan said Friday. Public outcry and protests erupted in Kerala seeking justice to the girls' family after a special POCSO court in Palakkad had on October 25 acquitted all the accused for lack of evidence.

The two girls, belonging to Shelvapuram in Attapallam near Walayar in Palakkad district, were aged 11 and nine and found hanged in January and March 2017 respectively. Post-mortem reports suggested that they were sexually assaulted.

The police arrested four people, one of whom was acquitted in September this year, and the remaining three on October 25. "In view of the gravity of the issue and to provide justice to the girls' family, we are considering recommending to the Kerala government to hand over the case to the CBI for a thorough probe," Murugan told PTI here.

He said the commission would summon the Kerala Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police (DGP). To a question, Murugan said the NCSC would soon direct Kerala to provide appropriate compensation to the victims' family.

Commenting about the case, Kerala DGP Loknath Behera told PTI that the police were yet to get the certified copies of the court verdict. According to him, the judgment copy would be available on November 5 or 6. "After going through it, we will decide the next course of action," he said.

Asked whether the case would be handed over to the Crime Branch CID or CBI, the DGP said it depends on the directions of the higher courts like the Kerala High Court or the Supreme Court. "We will do everything lawfully and as per the constitutional provisions," he said. The opposition parties have alleged that the police, under political pressure, helped the accused by weakening the prosecution case. The accused belong to the ruling CPI(M), they alleged.

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