Dalit Killings: Forensic Findings Debunk Victim’s Testimony

Forensic experts likely to submit their conclusive report to the CBI over the weekend.

Jitender, after his house was set on fire in Ballabgarh, Faridabad. (Photo: PTI)

Hours after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case in the Sunped village incident, in which two children were burnt alive allegedly by upper caste Rajputs, a team of forensic experts, who inspected the crime scene, have concluded the “origin and source of fire was from inside the room and not from outside,” according to The Indian Express.

The forensic experts also found a half-burnt bottle of kerosene under the partially burnt bed and a burnt matchstick lying on a slab next to the window in the room.

The team, comprising the Director of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and assistant directors of the Physics and Chemistry divisions of the FSL in Karnal, unanimously concluded that the fire originated “within the room”.

These findings debunk the testimony of the children’s father, Jitender, who claimed they were asleep in their house when they were attacked by a group of Rajputs. The mother, Rekha, is currently being treated for burns at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.

Seven of the eleven accused in the case have already been arrested.

Fire Started Inside House

The findings of the forensic team contradict many of the claims made by Jitender about the attack.

The FSL team has reportedly said that there was “no trace of outside entry” into the house, while also mentioning that the door was locked from inside. The experts also say that a window from which the flammable substances were allegedly thrown into the house was “shut, although not bolted”.

The team has also found the pattern of pouring the flammable substances to be inconsistent with being thrown from a distance. Jitender’s claim of taking his children out from a hole in an adjacent room has also been rejected by the forensic team and they say the hole is not big enough for a person to fit through.

The final forensic report is likely to be submitted over the weekend to the CBI.