Kerala: Congress leader asks for CBI probe into Walayar rape case

Kerala Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Friday slammed the state government for siding with the people who were acquitted in the case of alleged sexual assault and murder of two minor girls in Walayar town of Pallakad district. Ramesh Chennithala has also asked for the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) interference into the case.

Earlier last week, a special court in Kerala had acquitted three persons, namely, V Madhu, Shibu and M Madhu for the alleged rape of a 9-year-old and 13-year-old girls in 2017. One of the victims had allegedly committed suicide in January 2017, the younger one was found dead two months later. The Kerala Congress leader had also expressed his dissatisfaction over the Special Court acquitting the three persons. Chennithala said, "The state government is with the accused. The murder was not investigated properly. There should be a CBI probe in the case."

The three accused were arrested by the police under various sections of the Protection of Child against Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. The arrest was made after the post-mortem report of the minors revealed that they were subjected to sexual assault.

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About Walayar Rape Case

According to the reports, in January 2017, a 13-year old girl was found hanging from a rafter of her house in the Walayar region of Palakkad in Kerala. She was allegedly sexually abused over a long period. Two months later, her 9-year old sister, who had allegedly spotted two men running away from the crime scene at the time of her sister's death, was found hanging from the same rafter. The local police arrested three men in connection with this case. However, the accused were acquitted by the POSCO court in Palakkad last week due to a lack of evidence, triggering massive protests. The locals allege that the state government had been complicit in helping the accused. Reportedly, the mother of the victims has openly expressed the same.

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State government’s response 

Owing to the fact that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also handles the Home portfolio, he has come under a lot of criticism. After a 30-minute meeting with Kerala CM, the mother of the deceased girls reportedly said that she had no faith in the state police to conduct an unbiased investigation. Furthermore, she demanded the case be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Vijayan not only assured her that his government would appeal against the verdict but also observed that it would not oppose a petition seeking the CBI’s involvement in the case. As per the sources, the investigating officer who originally probed the case has been suspended.  

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(With inputs from ANI)