Delhi : Delhi’s chief minister has ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl in the Indian capital, as protests continue for a fifth day.
Since Sunday, crowds have taken to the streets to demand action taken against the alleged perpetrators — as well as broader change to address India’s high rates of rape, sexual violence and caste discrimination.
“The injustice this family has faced is unfortunate and cannot be compensated, but the government will give 10 lakh rupees ($13,480) to them and order a magisterial inquiry into the matter,” said Arvind Kejriwal, the head of the Delhi provincial government and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday.
“There is a need to strengthen law and order in Delhi,” he added. “I appeal to the central government to take firm steps in this direction. We (Delhi government) will cooperate fully.”
Kejriwal added that the Delhi government would appoint top lawyers to represent the family. Kejriwal made the comments to reporters on Wednesday, shortly after meeting the parents of the victim at a protest near the site of the alleged crime.
The 9-year-old girl — a member of the Dalit community, the most oppressed group in India’s Hindu system of caste hierarchy — had gone to fetch water from a Delhi crematorium on Sunday, according to Ingit Pratap Singh, a senior Delhi police official, citing a statement from the victim’s mother.
After the girl did not return for half an hour, the crematorium’s priest, 55-year-old Radhey Shyam, called the mother and showed her the body of her deceased daughter, said Singh.
The priest and three other crematorium employees told the mother that the girl had been electrocuted while trying to fetch water, and convinced the mother to cremate the body, claiming it would be a hassle to involve the police, said Singh. About 200 villagers began protesting that night.
Police have since arrested the four men alleged to be involved in the girl’s death, though they have not yet been charged, said Singh. Police are investigating the crime as an incident of caste violence, and are also investigating allegations of rape made by the victims’ family and other villagers.
CNN
