Following the latest arrests of three cops, three docs and a Justice of the Peace accused of protecting a person who allegedly raped and murdered a minor, the Assam authorities has determined to reopen all instances of unnatural deaths involving home assist over the previous 12 months.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mentioned on Friday that the choice was taken at a convention of senior cops after the investigation into the demise of a 13-year-old lady in June revealed how senior cops, authorities docs and a Justice of the Peace colluded to mission a rape and homicide as suicide.
“In Assam, there have been instances of alleged sexual assault and homicide of home helps up to now. We’ll attempt to take all such instances to a logical finish. We’ve got requested all district police chiefs to reopen and re-examine all such instances that passed off up to now 12 months,” the CM mentioned at a press convention in Guwahati.
Sarma mentioned that henceforth, if any such incident takes place, the district superintendent of police and the deputy inspector basic of the world would personally go to the scene of crime and the instances is not going to be closed until they’re glad with the investigation.
Within the case in query, a 13-year-old lady who was working as a home assist in the home of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawan Krishna Kamal Baruah allegedly died by suicide on June 11 at Dhula in Darrang district. Police lodged a case of unnatural demise and began a probe.
Following a autopsy report by docs and an inquest by a Justice of the Peace, police concluded that it was a case of suicide and the physique was buried. The members of the family of the lady, nonetheless, alleged that she had been murdered and lodged a separate case.
The case took a brand new flip in August when CM Sarma obtained a message on WhatsApp alleging foul play within the case. He visited the sufferer’s household on August 11 and ordered the case to be examined by the prison investigation division (CID) of Assam Police.
“The current case confirmed that typically, autopsy and inquests are performed in a fashion to assist the accused. I wish to ship a robust message to the police, docs and magistrates to do their duties diligently, particularly in such instances the place there’s such a gray space,” mentioned Sarma.
The CM mentioned that the state authorities would convey required amendments to legal guidelines or put together normal working procedures (SOPs) to be adopted by police and different authorities whereas dealing with instances of sexual assault or homicide of minors working as home assist.
“I obtain over 1,000 messages each day. It was pure coincidence that I occurred to verify this explicit message which I obtained at 2.30am and determined to go to the sufferer’s household the subsequent day. As a result of proof was sabotaged, the case was handed to CID,” mentioned the CM.
“Proof confirmed that proper from the officer-in-charge of the native police station to the extra superintendent of police to the superintendent of police, docs and a Justice of the Peace have been all complicit (in masking up the crime). Now, it’s for the courts to determine whether or not the accused are responsible or not,” he added.
Refuting allegations that the current case had dented the picture of police, Sarma mentioned that the arrests of the senior cops, docs and a Justice of the Peace reveals that the police received’t spare even their very own if they’re responsible.
In addition to Baruah who was arrested on June 30, police just lately arrested former Darrang superintendent of police Raj Mohan Ray, extra SP Rupan Phukan and sub-inspector Utpal Borah for allegedly portraying the rape and homicide as suicide after taking a sum of ₹5 lakh from Baruah’s household.
A case underneath sections 120B (prison conspiracy), 420 (dishonest) and 218 (attempting to protect an accused) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and two sections of Prevention of Corruption Act was lodged towards them.
The three authorities docs of Mangaldoi civil hospital — Ajanta Bordoloi, Anupam Sharma and Arun Deka — who performed the autopsy of the sufferer and termed it as a case of suicide by hanging on the behest of SI Borah have been additionally arrested final week.
On Friday, the CID arrested Ashirvad Hazarika, a neighborhood Justice of the Peace who performed an inquest on the sufferer’s physique and concluded that her demise was attributable to hanging by the neck. All of the accused are in custody at present.
The current case was uncommon for the police as they needed to re-verify the autopsy report and inquest and in addition needed to exhume the sufferer’s physique to conduct recent forensic checks, DNA evaluation and a second autopsy.
“Each, the primary autopsy and inquest, concluded demise to be attributable to suicide and talked about there was no sexual assault regardless of the primary forensic report exhibiting presence of semen on undergarments of the sufferer,” mentioned ADGP (CID) AYV Krishna.
After the CID took over the case, recent investigation revealed that nobody aside from the primary accused noticed the lady hanging and her lifeless physique was introduced down by him earlier than the police have been knowledgeable.
“It was solely after the physique was exhumed with permission of the court docket and members of the family and recent checks completed by a panel of specialists, that it was revealed that the wound in her neck was attributable to strangulation, there have been damage marks on her cranium and DNA checks revealed that the semen discovered on her undergarments was of the primary accused,” mentioned Krishna.