Preliminary medical report fails to confirm Ludhiana girl’s rape
A preliminary medical examination has failed to confirm rape in the case of the 16-year-old girl who died here on Tuesday after being set ablaze by her alleged rapists.
A preliminary medical examination has failed to confirm rape in the case of the 16-year-old girl who died here on Tuesday after being set ablaze by her alleged rapists.
The medical report, submitted to the police by Ludhiana civil hospital, said there were no scars or signs on the girl’s body to indicate that she was raped.
On November 17, the police had done a swab test to confirm rape. The report of this test, conducted against the will of the girl’s parents, is awaited.
Meanwhile, the police on Thursday claimed to have arrested a butcher, Babbu, the sixth accused in the immolation case, from Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
Police commissioner Pramod Ban said all accused in the immolation case had been arrested and the case would be cracked soon.
He added that the police were investigating the matter thoroughly and many witnesses, including neighbours, acquaintances and area residents, had joined the investigation as witnesses.
Multiple complaints
In her first complaint lodged at the Sahnewal police station on October 29, the girl had alleged that she was kidnapped and locked in a room by four persons. Three of the accused in this case -- Shehzad, Anwar and Babbu — have been arrested, while the fourth, Vicky, is on the run.
On October 31, the victim’s brother lodged another FIR against four unidentified accomplices of the accused for trespassing and thrashing his sister for lodging an FIR against them. However, the girl’s medical examination did not reveal signs of assault, say police sources.
The girl later alleged that the accused had molested her when she was kidnapped. Following her statement, the police added Section 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage woman’s modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to the FIR. On November 17, she said the accused had attempted to rape her when she was kidnapped, following which the police added sections 376 (rape) and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment.) of the IPC in the case and got another medical examination conducted.
Two witnesses say girl had affair
The police on Thursday claimed that the statements of two witnesses -- a local social activist and a labour leader — who had joined the police investigation suggested that the girl had an affair with one Sultan alias Munavvar and wanted to marry him.
The labour leader said the girl had approached him through the social activist on November 16 to say that she did not want to undergo a medical examination but the police were insisting on it as she was ‘in captivity’ for three days of these four men.
The police have traced Sultan to Delhi, but he is yet to be arrested. He has been absconding ever since the first FIR of kidnapping was registered.
The labour leader also told the police that the girl had said that she would end her life or that her parents would kill her. She also apparently told him that she had been beaten by her stepfather and mother. Reportedly, her mother had married her father’s younger brother after his death.
Key accused was not ‘present on spot’
Footage gathered from CCTV cameras installed at the Research and Development Centre shows that Shehzad -- the key accused in the immolation case -- was present on the campus on December 4 when the 16-year-old girl was set on fire.
Khudoos, Shehzad’s father, alleged that his son had been falsely implicated in the case. He said his son was taking an exam when the girl was set afire. Rupinder Kaur, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), South, said Shehzad could be seen entering the college at 10.30am for the exam which began at 1pm.