The 'Cover-Up' Of The Rape And Murder Of A 9-Year-Old Dalit Girl In Delhi Shocks The Nation
A nine-year-old Dalit girl died under suspicious circumstances, even as her parents alleged that she was raped and forcefully cremated by a crematorium priest in southwest Delhi's Old Nangal village, police said.
Protests are growing in Delhi over the alleged rape and murder of a Dalit girl in the national capital's Delhi Cantonment area on Sunday.
The shocking crime came to light on Monday after the family of the girl protested alleging that her body was cremated by the accused without their consent.
According to the family, the girl had gone to the village crematorium on Sunday evening.
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But after some time, they received a call saying that their daughter had died of electrocution.
They even told the girl's family members that if matter reaches the police, the body will be sent for autopsy, and the doctors will take out her vital organs and sell them.
The family alleged that she was raped and her body was forcibly cremated by the crematorium's priest, who is also one of the accused in the case.
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¡°My daughter went to get water from the crematorium when the incident happened. The priest showed me her body for a brief moment... her lips were blue. The priest cremated my child without our consent,¡± the girl's mother said.
The woman said the priest is lying that the girl was electrocuted and alleged that he raped her.
¡°Our community members doused the burning pyre and pulled the legs of my daughter. We need justice for her and the accused should get strict punishment,¡± she said.
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Girl's father said he was threatened
The girl's father alleged he was threatened.
"I was in the market when the incident happened. I got to know about it around 7.30 pm when her body was set on fire. A person from the nearby area assaulted me and threatened me to not file a complaint. He even offered me Rs 20,000, but I refused,¡± he said.
¡°I suspect that the priest must have informed that person about the incident. We have only one demand that the accused must be hanged," the father said.
Based on the family's complaint, four persons, identified as Radhey Shyam, the 55-year-old priest of the crematorium, Salim, Laxmi Narayan and Kuldeep have been arrested by the police.
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On Tuesday, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) demanded a detailed action taken report in the matter from the Delhi Police.
"You are requested to conduct an inquiry into the matter ensuring that victim's identity is not disclosed during the process of investigation and furnish a detail report of the case along with the following documents within 48 hours," the letter said.
The Delhi Commission for Women launched an inquiry into the incident and summoned the city police over the crime.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has demanded capital punishment for the accused in the case.
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Bhim Army chief and Dalit leader Chandra Shekhar Azad said that the case should be investigated properly.
"It was a lie that the girl died due to electrocution. They (accused) cremated her body without the presence of the family. We have heard that the parents of the girl were also pressured to give a statement accordingly," Azad said.
Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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