Palakkad: The state government is likely to file an appeal against the acquittal of four accused in the rape and suicide case of two minor sisters at Attappallam, Walayar, after getting the copy of the judgment. Mr A.K. Balan, Minister for Law and SC/ST Welfare, said that if there were any lapses in the police inquiry, that too would be looked into.
Mr Balan’s response came in his Facebook post on Saturday following widespread criticism over the acquittal of the accused due to lack of evidence. The girls belonging to Scheduled Caste community committed suicide by hanging inside their single-room house within a span of two months in 2017.
The Youth Congress held a protest in front of the civil station here on Saturday demanding a re-probe into the case by a different agency. The protestors covered their mouth with black cloth.
Palakkad Assembly Youth Congress president Boban Mattumantha said the home department had failed along with the probe team and the prosecution in proving the case.
“There was an attempt to hush up the case from the beginning through political intervention. The then Walayar SI was suspended for lapses in the inquiry into the death of the elder sister and ignoring the post-mortem report hinting at rape,” he said.
The Thrissur Range IG, who conducted an inquiry into the lapses in the initial stages of the case in 2017, had asked for a department-level probe against two CIs and DySPs associated with the case before the special investigation team took over the case, he noted.
Several crucial witnesses also turned hostile which led to the acquittal.
“The doctor who conducted the post-mortem had reportedly hinted at the possibility of murdering the siblings and hanging them. Hence, the doctor’s statement also need to be rerecorded and a new probe should be ordered,” said the YC leaders.
BJP leader K. Surendran hit out at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and A.K. Balan on the Facebook demanding a reply on how the accused were let off.
“There is no need for drama after swallowing the evidence. The activists and cultural leaders with Left leanings too should come out in the open about the failure in the case,” he said.
