PALAKKAD: The action council formed demanding proper investigation into the alleged rape and murder of two minor sisters of Attappalam near Walayar in Palakkad district earlier this year has refuted the police report filed before the State Human Rights Commission that they were cases of suicide. The elder sister, aged 13, was found hanging in her single-room house on January 13 and the nine-year-old younger one was found hanging at the same place 52 days later. Palakkad Narcotic Cell DySP M.J. Sojan, who is heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT), on Monday said that the report, filed a month ago before SHRC in Thiruvanathapuram, had mentioned that the SIT could find no evidence to prove that the deaths were murders.
Pudussery panchayat member M. Balamurali, who is the chairman of the action council formed to get justice for the sisters, said that the SIT report was rubbish and inspector-general (Thrissur range) M.R. Ajith Kumar who visited the house at Walayar after the death of the younger sister had categorically said that the involvement of other matured person/persons in the incident could be suspected going by the method used to tie the rope on which the girl was found hanging. “We had spoken to the teachers of the elder sister and they say that she was mentally tough and could not commit suicide,” M. Balamurali said.
“The SIT needs to do further investigation to find the real culprits. Five persons including a minor boy, relatives and close friends of the family had been arrested and lodged in the jail for raping the minor girls several times at their house in Walayar where they were found hanging. The police may have failed to get evidence from those arrested, but there will be more persons involved in the case.” Besides that, a 30-year-old man, who was living in the locality had committed suicide on April 25 after he was summoned by the SIT for questioning for the second time. This points to the involvement of more persons, Mr Balamurali said.
