Shimla gang-rape-murder case: CBI re-examines body of accused who died in police custody
The CBI on Tuesday re-examined the body of the Nepalese national, one of the six accused in the gang-rape-and-murder of a 16-year-old girl in Kotkhai and who died in police custody five days ago
The CBI on Tuesday re-examined the body of the Nepalese national, one of the six accused in the gang-rape-and-murder of a 16-year-old girl in Kotkhai and who died in police custody five days ago, preserved at a hospital in Himachal Pradesh’s capital Shimla.
Singh was allegedly strangled by another suspect, Rajendra Singh, during a scuffle at the Kotkhai police station last Wednesday. His death intensified the ongoing protests against the botched-up investigations in the case.
A Central Bureau of Investigations team arrived at the Indira Gandhi Medical College around 9:45am and inquired about the autopsy conducted by the hospital. The team included three members of the forensic team.
IGMC’s medical superintendent Dr Ramesh Chand confirmed the CBI team’s visit. “The members also met the IGMC team of experts, which had conducted the autopsy,” Dr Chand said.
Singh’s wife Mamata, who visited the hospital on July 21 to identify the body, has been shifted to the women’s shelter at Mashobra, 12 km from Shimla. Mamata has been demanding an early release of her husband’s body.
The Himachal Pradesh high court ordered a CBI probe into the case on July 19.
The investigating agency registered two FIRs last Saturday in the gang-rape-and-murder of the Class 10 student and the custodial death of Singh after taking over the cases from the state police.
The first FIR that the CBI filed pertains to the gang-rape-and-murder of the schoolgirl. The FIR, in this case, was registered at the Kotkhai police station on July 6 under Sections 302 (murder) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code.
The second FIR relates to Singh’s death.
The CBI sleuths, who split into different teams, are visiting various locations to conduct their investigations. Earlier, a CBI team went to the crime scene at Hilaila village in Kotkhai tehsil. They also questioned the locals about the antecedents of the six main accused.
On July 13, the state police claimed a breakthrough in the case and arrested six men. They included Ashish Chauhan alias Ashu (29), a resident of Sharaal village in Mahasu area of Kotkhai, Rajender Singh alias Raju (32), the driver of a pick-up vehicle and a resident of Hilaila village, Subash Singh Bisht (42) of Pauri Garhwal, Suraj Singh (29) of Nepal, Lok Jan (19) of Nepal and Deepak (38) of Garhwal.
The girl went missing on her way home from school on July 4 and her naked body was found two days later with injury marks. Since then, her photos have gone viral on social media as hundreds of people have come out on the streets to protest.
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