The body of a 17-year-old girl was found on the railway tracks in Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district, triggering outrage. Her family have alleged that she had been raped and murdered.
Her body was found on Wednesday morning and the case is presently being investigated by the Government Railway Police (GRP).
“We have registered a case under Section 174 (unnatural death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). As per our preliminary investigation, it seems that the minor has died in a train accident. However, since allegations have been made by the parents, all the evidence and samples were sent for examination and a postmortem was also conducted. As per instructions from higher officials, we will be transferring the case to the district police,” said Government Railway Police Inspector P Raju.
Police believe that the girl could have been hit by a train that was scheduled between 2.00 am and 3.00 am on Wednesday.
Speaking to TNM, Bhadradri Kothagudem Superintendent of Police Sunil Dutt said that they have taken cognisance of the issue. He said, “An IPS officer has been tasked to probe into the matter. The official has already spoken to the family. We will proceed to take further action based on postmortem results.”
The officer, citing prima facie evidence in the case, said that they will also be looking into abetment to suicide.
Earlier in a statement, Kothagudem Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Vanama Venkateswara Rao expressed his grief over the incident.
Many took to social media to outrage about the incident and demand justice for the family of the minor. However, police officers from Kothagudem have denied the various claims on social media.
The incident comes seven months after the brutal rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian from Hyderabad — who was later given the pseudonym 'Disha' — in November last year.
Disha's death had triggered protests across the country, with many demanding strict action against the accused and raising questions about the safety of women in India.
Her body had been found in a burnt state at Shadnagar on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway on November 28, a day after she went missing, following which four men were arrested.
On December 6, the four accused were shot dead in a police encounter, following which a three-member judicial commission was formed to probe the issue.