SIT Formed to Probe Rape, Murder of 6-Yr-Old

An eight-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to ensure expedited investigation into the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl by her uncle in Chhattisgarh’s Durg city, police said on Wednesday.

The SIT, headed by Durg Additional Superintendent of Police (IUCAW-Investigative Unit for Crime Against Women) Padmashri Tanwar, will have seven other members, including Mohan Nagar police station House Officer Shiv Prasad Chandra.

According to police, the minor had gone to her grandmother’s house in the neighbourhood for ‘kanya bhoj’ on the ninth day of Chaitra Navratri festival when her 24-year-old uncle sexually assaulted her, killed her, and later placed her body in a neighbour’s car.

However, the minor victim’s family has rejected the police’s version of events. They have demanded a fair investigation and stated that they will not accept any compensation in place of justice.

The incident occurred on Sunday in the Mohan Nagar police station area of Durg.

Police have arrested a young man in connection with the case, claiming he confessed to the crime. However, the family alleges the confession was coerced and that the man is not the real culprit.

They claim the car in which the body was found belongs to another individual, who they believe is the actual culprit—yet that person has not been questioned or taken into custody.

Calling the police investigation biased and incomplete, the family on Wednesday demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI. They said they were prepared to go to any extent to ensure justice for their daughter.

“I want justice for my daughter. I want to see the guilty punished. I don’t want money,” the child’s mother said.

A Congress delegation met the grieving family on Wednesday and said that the concerns raised by them are serious and merit a thorough and impartial inquiry. They alleged that while the person the family suspects was treated leniently and let go, the family itself is facing harassment from authorities.

The family has accused the police of intimidation and mental pressure, claiming they are being summoned to the police station repeatedly and threatened. They said they are in a state of deep shock due to the treatment they’re receiving.

Earlier on Tuesday, members of various social organizations held protests in Durg. The opposition Congress also staged demonstrations in Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon and other districts, burning effigies of the chief minister to protest the handling of the rape and murder of the child.

Meanwhile, lawyers have refused to represent the accused. Durg Bar Council President Neeta Jain termed the act heinous and inhuman and said it has decided not to represent the accused.

(with inputs from IANS)

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