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The Kerala Police on Saturday detained members of the BJP's Mahila Morcha, who had taken out a protest march against the accused in connection with the murder of a six-year-old girl in Vandiperiyar.
The members of the BJP's women's wing alleged that the police helped the accused escape stringent charges. Meanwhile, Kerala Police decided to challenge the ruling of the Special Fast Track Court at Kattappana, acquitting the accused, 24-year-old Arjun, in connection with the rape and murder of a 6-year-old girl at Vandiperiyar in Idukki, the office of the state police chief informed. Acquitting the accused, the judge of the fast-track court, V. Manju said the prosecution had failed to prove their case against him and furnish enough prosecutable evidence. The incident in question took place in 2021. A six-year-old girl was found hanging at her home. She was staying with her parents at a hut on an estate in the Idukki district. The police later arrested the accused, Arjun, under POCSO, rape and murder. However, not satisfied with the verdict, the victim's family said they did not get justice. Opposition leader VD Satheesan, too, alleged that the verdict shocked the conscience of Kerala, adding that the post-mortem revealed that the victim was tortured before being murdered. "The accused confessed to the crime and the police must investigate whether there was any external interference behind the case failing to stand legal scrutiny despite enough evidence being collected against the accused," Satheesan said. Calling the court verdict 'disappointing', Surendran alleged that the police went soft on the accused from the beginning owing to his political affiliation and excluded serious sections in the chargesheet filed against him. (ANI)
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