Girl found dead in BJP leader’s car, family cries rape

Mystery shrouds the death of a seven-year-old girl found in Maharashtra BJP chief Nitin Gadkari’s car.

Mystery shrouds the death of a seven-year-old girl found in Maharashtra BJP chief Nitin Gadkari’s car.

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Two days after the discovery of the body, the post-mortem report said Yogita Thakre died of ‘smothering’ after accidentally getting locked inside Gadkari’s car, parked outside his bungalow. The police are waiting for the forensic report.

Relatives of the Class III student, however, claimed she was raped and witnesses had seen bloodstains on her thigh and scratch marks on her face. They and the locals accused the police of trying to hush up the case.

The police later said blood had indeed been found on Yogita’s inner-wear.

“But I still feel it wasn’t rape or murder,” investigating officer Ramchandra Katole said. “I have no answer for the bloodstains and scratch marks. We can arrive at a conclusion only after getting the forensic report a week later.”“Preliminary reports do not mention sexual abuse,” he added.

Social worker Umesh Choube pointed out that the police report made no mention of the injury marks. He also said he’d visited Yogita’s home and found out that a policeman deployed in Gadkari’s house as a security guard often gave her chocolates.

Yogita’s sister Nisha said she last saw her playing with Gadkari’s security guard. The guard was identified as Sudhakar Balbudhe. He hasn’t been interrogated so far.

Expressing anguish over the death, Gadkari said he had faith in the autopsy report and that nobody from his family was involved.