Dalit girl’s alleged rape, murder: Suspects may be asked to take polygraph test

Investigators on Friday said the suspects will be confronted with the evidence collected so far, and the allegations that the victim’s family members and villagers have made

A day after the investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a minor Dalit girl at a southwest Delhi crematorium was transferred to crime branch, the new team on Thursday visited the crime scene at Purani Nangal village and said that they will seek the remand of the four arrested suspects to question them and get their consent to undergo a polygraph test.

A security person stands guard near a pyre inside a crematorium in Delhi where a 9-year-old girl was cremated. (AP)

Investigators on Friday said the suspects will be confronted with the evidence collected so far, and the allegations that the victim’s family members and villagers have made.

“The arrested men can either agree to take the lie-detector test or refuse it. The refusal is generally considered a ploy that the suspect is using to avoid telling the truth. We will have to wait and see what the four arrested men in this case opt for. As far as the investigation is concerned, we are depending on the DNA profiling of the arrested persons and other scientific evidence collected or is being collected in the case,” said a senior crime branch officer, who asked not to be named.

A polygraph or a lie detector test is a procedure to record physiological indicators like blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked a series of questions.

According to the police, when the girl’s parents informed the villagers, they rushed to the crematorium, doused the pyre and removed charred remains of the child’s body, before allegedly assaulting the four men and handing them over to the police.

Since the girl’s clothes that she was wearing at the time of the crime were burnt along with her body during the cremation, the police only have her charred remains for investigation. The three-doctor board that conducted an autopsy on the charred remains of the child has informally told the police that they cannot reach any conclusion by examining the remains, senior police officers said.

On Thursday, the crime branch team visited the crematorium along with forensic experts and collected fresh evidence. The local police with the help of forensic experts have already collected the undergarments of the arrested persons, lifted fingerprints, and other necessary evidence from the crematorium. The water cooler was also seized for examination.

“The electrical experts are examining the cooler to ascertain if electric current was leaking through it, or if there was a technical fault. However, it will be difficult to establish that the girl was electrocuted to death after coming into contact with the appliance,” the officer added.

Protest continues

Late on Wednesday night, the police cleared one carriageway of the Pankha Road, where the girl’s family members, villagers, and political activists have been protesting since Sunday night, demanding speedy justice for the girl, and death penalty for the four suspects, who were arrested and sent to jail on Monday.

Vehicular movement was restored on one carriageway going towards Janakpuri from Delhi cantonment, while the opposite carriageway has been occupied by the protesters, right outside the main entrance of Purani Nangal village, where the victim’s family lives in a rented room.

According to the police, the protesters agreed to clear one carriageway after the Indian Army establishment at Delhi cantonment served a notice to the organiser of the agitation as well as the local police, asking them to vacate the area citing security concerns and inconvenience caused to the military personnel and vehicles in the run-up to their preparedness for the Independence Day.

On Thursday, Asha Devi, mother of the December 16,2012 gang rape case victim, also visited the protest site and met the child’s mother.

“Having gone through a similar tragedy in my life, I could feel the pain that the child’s mother is going through. That’s the reason I went there and spoke to the mother in detail about the crime. I stand in solidarity with the victim’s family members and will extend my support in their fight in whatever way possible,” said Devi.