UP sets up SIT after claiming Aligarh killing is an ‘open and shut’ case, valid questions remain unanswered

Uttar Pradesh Police officers acknowledge that there are loose ends to the investigation into the gruesome killing of the two and a half year old girl child in Aligarh. While the two accused have been arrested and are said to have confessed, police officers continue to grapple with unanswered questions.

• Would the accused have strangled the child to death over the non-payment of ten thousand rupees?
• And if they did kill the child, would they have done it almost next to the victim’s house?
• Would they have dumped the body then in the garbage heap and left?
• Could there be others who may have abducted the child with the intention of sexually assaulting her but lost their nerve following the uproar over the missing child?

The questions, they say, are important because the body was found three days after the parents filed a missing report.

The post mortem report has exposed the brutality that the small child faced. The police say that no signs of sexual assault were reported. But the post mortem report exposes the extent of mutilation her body was subjected to. The report says that vital organs like kidneys, urinary bladder and large and small intestines were missing. Her right arm was amputated and bones were exposed at places. It further says that the left leg was found fractured and the body was highly decomposed “to the extent of blackening and peeling of skin from the body.”

The extent of the injury on the child’s body, who went missing on May 30, also raises questions, say sources within the Uttar Pradesh Police. But even as the state government has tried to take credit for solving the case and arresting the culprits, political parties have jumped in to take credit.

“This is nothing but jungle raj. The brutality committed on this girl shows that criminals have no fear of police. They know they can walk away after committing crime as is happening in Uttar Pradesh,” Rajendra Chaudhry, the spokesman of Samajwadi Party said.

The police cover up is evident. No one can digest the police version of the story. The police say that the two accused - Zahid and Aslam - have confessed to killing the girl after her father failed to return ₹10,000 he had taken from them as loan.

The brutality committed on the body does not match the police version of story. The questions being asked are, Can anyone kill a small girl for just ₹10,000? and What is the reason for this brutality? Why were the body parts removed as is claimed in the post-mortem report and what for?

Amarnath Agarwal, senior Congress leader, said that the party had been saying that law and order in the state has gone from bad to worse. Just after Lok sabha election a political activist was shot dead in Azamgarh, another was killed in Amethi, two SP leaders were killed in Jaunpur, one in Noida and a trader was killed in Bijnor after he failed to pay extortion money.

“This all happened after May 23. This is the Ram Rajya BJP is wishing to give to people. What can be more unfortunate than this--when the entire country was mourning the brutal killing of this girl, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was busy unveiling a statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya,” Agarwal said. “This shows the priority of this government,”he added.

The Yogi government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. The NSA (National Security Act) has been invoked against the accused and the matter will be put before the Fast Track Court for speedy trial and conviction. The government has also suspended five policemen including the SHO for alleged negligence. The policemen were suspended for the alleged delay in registering the case after the girl was reported missing, and also for delaying the probe which eventually led to the discovery of her body on June 2, officials said.

How the leaders and cine stars reacted to this incident:

Rahul Gandhi, Congress President:

'The horrific murder of a little girl in Aligarh, UP has shocked and disturbed me. How can any human being treat a child with such brutality? This terrible crime must not go unpunished. The UP police must act swiftly to bring the killers to justice,' tweeted Rahul.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress national General Secretary (East UP)

'The brutal murder in Aligarh is yet another inhuman, unspeakable crime against an innocent child. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain her parents must feel. What has become of us?' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted.

Mayawati, BSP national President:

The brutal killing is "highly shameful and sad incident". The Uttar Pradesh government should take strict action immediately to establish the rule of law in the state and put the guilty behind the bars," she said in a statement in Lucknow.

Javed Akhtar  Bollywood lyricist.

'This case should be fast tracked in the courts by daily hearings. Any one can guess the inevitable and obvious verdict of any court on this most heinous crime possible . Wish he could be hanged publicly,' Akhtar said in his tweet.