Kerala

Parents of Walayar minor sisters meet Kerala CM, ask for CBI probe in case

Written by : Saritha S Balan

Parents of the two minor girls who were found dead within a span of two months in Walayar in 2017 met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday.

They demanded that the CM ask for a CBI investigation into the death of their daughters. Last week, a court in Palakkad had acquitted three men accused of sexually assaulting the children. Another accused had been acquitted on September 30.

"We want justice for our daughters. No parents should ever go through the same. We want a re-investigation by the CBI. The Chief Minister has promised all support to us," the mother told the media after meeting the Chief Minister. The couple met the CM in the Kerala Assembly complex even as the Assembly session was going on.

Accompanying them was Kerala Pulayar Mahasabha leader Punnala Sreekumar.

"The government has decided to go for an appeal but it's not possible to recommend a CBI probe. But the CM took the stand that the government will support a petition for the same by the parents, and will become party in the case," Punnala Sreekumar told the media.

Incidentally, the National Human Rights Commission will hold a session in Thiruvananthapuram later in the day solely to hear cases relating to atrocities against people from Scheduled Castes. The mother, however, said that they will not be meeting the Commission as they have already met the Chief Minister and were satisfied with his assurances.

The meeting with the Chief Minister came amidst clamour for a reinvestigation of the case.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday told the Assembly that the government will file appeal for re-trial in the case. Regarding a reinvestigation, the government had said that it will study the legal possibilities as the law does not allow reinvestigation on the same charges once a person is acquitted or convicted.

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