Kin of UP rape victim, accused seek CBI probe

Uttar Pradesh police may be claiming that it has cracked the ‘gang-rape’ and murder case and arrested the culprit. But none, including the victim’s family, is ready to this and the pressure for a CBI probe into the matter is piling on the state government.

As new leads emerged in the case indicating involvement of more than one person in the brutal killing, a PIL was filed in the court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

On Monday, the victim’s family rejected the police theory and accused officials of trying to cover up their failure by implicating someone who might not have committed the crime.

“She was a courageous woman. Had there been only one person, she would have countered him,” said victim’s sister-in-law.

The family also contested the police claim that the victim had not been raped.
“The same officials were earlier saying that she had been raped. What was the basis for their statement,” family members said.

The family plans to write to the President and Prime Minister urging them to ask the UP government to recommend a CBI probe.

Alleged culprit Ram Sevak Yadav’s wife Sushila Devi also demanded a CBI investigation. She alleged that the cops had taken away her son and tortured him to exert pressure on Yadav to extract a confession.

The police had arrested a security guard Ram Sevak Yadav and claimed that he had tried to rape the victim and killed her when he failed in his attempt.

A PIL has been filed by social organisation People’s Forum in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court seeking a CBI probe.

“The theory advanced by police is completely unconvincing,” said the petitioner Nutan Thakur, the convener of the forum in her petition.

The Public Interest Litigation also seeks appointment of grievance officers by all internet intermediaries as prescribed by Information Technology (Intermediaries guidelines) Rules, 2011 so that the incidents like circulation of nude photographs of a victim are controlled in the future.

It also seeks appropriate training of UP Police personnel to deal appropriately with sexual offences so that the improper conduct shown in this case is not repeated.

The body of the victim, who was an employee at a hospital here, was found lying in a pool of blood in the primary school on Thursday. The brutal killing had sparked outrage in the state.