The mother of the two minor girls in Kerala's Walayar in Palakkad district, who were allegedly raped and killed in a gap of fewer than three months, has kicked off a state-wide protest rally against the government for allegedly protecting erring officers who initially probed the case.
The rally, named Neethi Yatra, was inaugurated by MLA NA Nellikkunnu in the district of Kasaragod on Tuesday. It is a continuation of protests staged by the parents of the girls seeking action against Sojan, the then Deputy Superintendent of Police who was later promoted as Superintendent of Police; and Chacko, the then Sub Inspector of Police who was later promoted as Circle Inspector.
The rally raised two questions – What kind of governance is this; and why are elections needed at all when the government is not listening to people’s voice. Kerala is set to go to the polls on April 6. The CPI (M) led Left Democratic Front is currently in power in the state.
A POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) Court in Palakkad in October 2019 had acquitted all the accused in the case. However, the High Court in January this year ordered reinvestigation in the case after the girls’ mother and the state government had moved the court separately demanding another probe in the case.
The girls aged 13 and nine, were found dead in January and March of 2017 respectively.
"The post mortem report of the younger child said that it could be a murder. But the investigating team neglected that to save the culprits," a statement from the Walayar Neethi Forum, an action council that supports the parents, said.
"When the parents of the girls met the Chief Minister (in 2019), he had promised that action would be taken against the officers who sabotaged the investigation. But the incidents that followed were shocking. Sojan, who had been heading the investigation, was promoted as SP and he has been recommended by the [government] to be conferred Indian Police Service (IPS) title. Chacko also remains in service and has gotten a promotion. Sojan had even spoken about the girls in a very derogatory manner in public," the statement further read.
"The government issued an order handing over the case to the CBI, but the notification was to probe the death of the elder one. If so, the sabotage attempt in the case won't come under the probe’s purview. The mother and the Action Council hence moved the court challenging this and the government issued a notification to probe the death of both the girls," the statement said.
According to the statement, 41 POCSO cases have been registered under the Walayar Police Station in the last five years. "Of this, the accused have been acquitted in the 12 cases in which judgement has been delivered, as per response to queries through the Right to Information Act. The accused are saved because of political and money influence.”
The mother of the Walayar girls had staged a hunger strike in front of their house in Walayar in February 2021 and trounced her hair in protest.