Tension prevailed in Koppole village of Nalgonda, Telangana, on Saturday, July 17 as several anti-caste activists protested, accusing the police of covering up the alleged murder of a Dalit 17-year-old girl. The minor girl, a first-year intermediate student, was also suspected to have been raped. The girl belonged to the Mala community, categorised as Scheduled Caste. The perpetrator is suspected to be D Pavan, a 20-year-old man from the same village. Pavan is also from the Dalit community, a Madiga.
On July 12, the 17-year-old victim, who was sleeping with her grandmother in her house, was found missing around 11.45 pm. The next day, the girl’s dead body was found in an open field on the outskirts of Koppole village. She was found with a shawl around her neck, indicating that she could have been strangled to death, a Dalit activist said. Several beer bottles and cigarette buds were also strewn around the crime spot. There were some injury marks on the victim’s genitals, raising suspicion of sexual assault.
The police registered a case under Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Section 174, which require the police to enquire and report on suicide, if a person is killed by another or by an animal or by machinery or by an accident, or has died under circumstances raising a reasonable suspicion that some other person has committed an offence.
According to activists, the victim’s parents had written a complaint against Pavan, suspecting his role in the mysterious death. The victim and suspect were allegedly in a relationship. However, the man suspected that the girl was talking to other men. However, the Sub-Inspector of Kethepally, Ramakrishna, allegedly did not take any action against him.
The Dalit activists accused the SI of negligence for not being proactive in carrying out the investigation based on their suspicions. Following protests by Dalit activists, the issue caught the attention of the District Superintendent of Police. Upon learning that there were lapses in the investigation, the SI was transferred on July 16.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, July 17, in the presence of local officials, the police conducted a postmortem once again, to ascertain if the deceased was sexually assaulted. The samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination. The case is now being handed over to Addl Superintendent of Police CH Satish, TNM has learnt.
The suspected accused has reportedly confessed to the crime. However, the police remain tight-lipped about the incident. The Nalgonda police were unavailable to comment on the progress of the case.