Badaun rape case: Exhumation of bodies remains suspended

CBI's efforts to exhume bodies of the two rape victims in UP's Badaun district failed for the second day today with gushing waters from the swollen Ganga submerging the graves, prompting the agency to go in for examination of the doctor who conducted the first autopsy.

Drawing flak from the family of the victims for the delay in the exhumation process, CBI has contended that the decision to exhume the bodies can only be taken by the three-member medical board and the agency can only facilitate the process.

CBI sources said the panel had met on Thursday and decided to exhume the bodies on Sunday. Soon after the decision was taken, they approached the district magistrate to take permission which was granted.

Graves were seen fully under water with red flags atop two poles to mark the area.The sources said the exhumation process is not likely in the near future as the levels of the river have risen.

"We will wait for the water to recede," the sources said, adding heavy machinery sought from the Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation will also be of not much help.

They said with heavy rains predicted in Uttarakhand, there is no likelihood of river levels coming down in the near future and if the conditions remained like this, the agency may have to wait for months to carry out the process.

In the meanwhile, a CBI team along with the doctors of the medical board surveyed the crime scene where the bodies of two teenagers, who were raped and killed, were found.

The two cousins, aged 14 and 15, went missing from their house on the night of May 27 and their bodies were found hanging from a tree in the village in Ushait area in UP's Badaun district the next day, sparking nationwide outrage.

The sources said an examination of the lady doctor, who carried out the first autopsy, will also be done in front of the medical board so that they can ask questions related to her observations during the post-mortem. The panel of doctors has also gone to meet the family members of the victims and to recreate the crime scene.

Yesterday, attempts by CBI to exhume the bodies failed due to the gushing water. Divers of the Provinicial Armed Constabulary who were pressed into service also failed to locate the graves.

The need for a fresh autopsy was felt after the post-mortem report of the local doctor was only suggestive of rape without conclusively proving it.

Highly-placed sources in CBI said the first post-mortem was conducted at night, which is usually against laid down procedures. Post-mortem is not conducted after sunset except in emergency cases.

The post-mortem was conducted by a lady doctor who had apparently no prior experience of it, the sources said. Meanwhile, family of the victims alleged that local administration and CBI were not doing enough to solve the crime.

They said that the exhumation process could have been undertaken much before as it was forecast that the river level will rise in a matter of days. The efforts of the local administration to protect the area of graves using sand bags failed as water breached the makeshift wall.