Delhi Dalit Minor Rape Case: Cause of Death Not Ascertained, Say Police Sources

A panel could not ascertain the cause of the death as most of the body was burnt, police sources said.

Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad during a protest after a minor girl was allegedly gang raped and murdered in Delhi.

(Photo: PTI)

As details over the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in Delhi's Nangal are being ascertained, the police sources on Wednesday, 4 August, said that the post-mortem of the body has so far been "inconclusive."

Sources told The Quint that a three-member panel which conducted the post-mortem on the child's body could "not ascertain the cause of the death" as most of the body was burnt – after the alleged forceful cremation of the girl.

A priest and three employees of a crematorium in the area were arrested on 2 August, after the girl died under mysterious circumstances and was allegedly forcefully cremated.

"Yesterday, a post-mortem was done on her remaining body parts. Informally, the board of doctors said that they can't reach any conclusion about the cause of death. We will handover the mortal remains to family for the last rites soon," DCP South-West Ingit Pratap Singh told ANI.

Short Circuit Found in Water Cooler: Police Sources

Meanwhile, police sources told The Quint that the scene was recreated with the help of the CBI's Central Forensic Science Lab (CFSL) team and that a short-circuit was found in the water cooler. The accused too had claimed electrocution to be the cause of the girl's death.

The minor, who lived with her parents near the crematorium, was sent by her mother to get water from the crematorium at around 5:30 pm. At around 6 pm, Radhey Shyam, and other accused called and showed her the girl’s body, claiming that she had died after getting electrocuted while getting water.

'Family Knew Priest'

Locals in Old Nangal said that the mother and the daughter would usually sit at the Peer Baba mazar where the accused priest would meet them and often offer them food.

The priest had the family's confidence which helped him to convince them to cremate the body before the the police would know, sources said.

Accused to Take Polygraph Test Soon

The accused reportedly convinced the girl's family to cremate her without informing the police, claiming that if police file a case, the doctors would steal the girl's organs.

Even after the girl's family objected, the accused forcefully tried to carry out the cremation. The Delhi Police will reportedly be taking the accused for the polygraph and narco analysis test soon.

Cops informed that as per the girl’s mother's statement, an FIR has registered under IPC sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 201 (destruction of evidence), 342 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (common intention), as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, SC/ST Act, and IPC sections 302 (punishment for murder), 376 (punishment for rape), and 506 at the Delhi Cantonment police station.

(With inputs from ANI)