The Kattapana special court acquitting accused Arjun, citing lack of concrete evidence and lapse in probe by the police, has left the parents of the six-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Vandiperiyar Choorakulam estate dejected. But they are resolved in their pursuit of justice for their beloved daughter. They open up before ‘Manorama’.
How did you feel while hearing the verdict? What's your next step in the case?
The child's mother: We are shocked that the accused managed to escape. We did not hear even the verdict read out in the courtroom. We came to know that it was against us by hearing the defense happily say that they had won. I don't know if there will be any evidence left if there is another investigation. However, I believe that justice will be delivered if big entities like the CBI investigate. Many are offering legal help to file an appeal. We will definitely move forward. The man who destroyed my daughter, the man who was so cruel, will not be spared.
Father of the child: We still firmly believe that Arjun himself is the culprit. The verdict of the case was wrong. Our daughter did not get justice.
Didn’t the court rule on the basis of witnesses and evidence? The court said that the investigation conducted by the police was not sufficient.
The child's mother: I don't think there was any severe lapse in the police investigation. But there are drawbacks. Even we thought at first that our daughter's death was an accident. But it was the police who found out that my child had been the victim of such a big tragedy. They also caught the accused.
Were the police always with you?
Father: The help of the police has not been there on many fronts. There was a lapse in imposing the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the case. They said if the section is added, the case will be delayed, and a DySP will have to investigate, and that if the case is transferred to the district court, it will not be completed even after years.
Did you go to court because of this? What was the response of the police?
Father: Yes. It was only when we received a letter saying that we would not get the benefit of the law, we came to know the section had not been charged in the case. Though we went to the court, the police prepared the document from the village office without hearing any of our arguments. Thus, the case was dismissed.
Later, the cops acted in vengeance when I had to go to the Vandiperiyar police station in connection with an accident case. The Sub Inspector (SI), who was in charge then, held me by the neck and beat me up several times, saying ‘We were waiting for an opportunity to get hold of you’. However, the Circle Inspector (CI) expressed remorse and sought forgiveness the next day in front of Vazhoor Soman MLA and said the same happened since he was not there at the time of the incident. So I decided not to lodge a complaint.
There were promises of assistance, including financial and legal aid in the case, right? Have you received the same?
Father: Though we’ve submitted numerous complaints and applications, we’re yet to get any assistance. Since the SC/ST Atrocities Act was not invoked by the police, we didn’t get any help on that account either. Now we’ve submitted an application seeking assistance from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).
