Walayar rape & murder: BJP protests outside law minister's residence

Workers of BJP SC Morcha, the Scheduled caste wing of Bharatiya Janata Party, on Saturday staged a protest in front of Kerala Law Minister AK Balan's residence over the recent acquittal of the three accused in the 2017 rape and murder case of two minor girls in Walayar. 

Earlier, the student wings of CPI and BJP had staged a protest outside the Secretariat in Thiruvanthapuram demanding justice for the Walayar sisters. The three accused — V Madhu (27), M Madhu (27) and Shibu (43) — were acquitted owing to lack of evidence in the case. 

READ | Kerala: BJP, CPI protest over accused's acquittal in rape-murder case

What happened in 2017?

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 of time. 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.

READ | Walayar: Oppn escalates protest as Kerala CM meets sisters' family

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.  

READ | Law Minister to consider EC's proposal of collecting UIDAI information

READ | Kerala: BJP leaders sit on hunger strike for justice in Walayar case

READ | Walayar sisters death: Eyewitness alleges Left influence over police