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It's been two years since the body of a 17-year-old girl was recovered from Chaliyar river in Malappuram district. Her death happened months after filing a sexual assault complaint against a Karate coach, who has since been arrested and charged under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and for abetment of suicide. Though the police have called her death a suicide, the family is alleging lapses in the investigation and wants the case to be re-investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The teenager was found dead in the Chaliyar River on February 19, 2024.
In January, the investigation officers filed a charge sheet at the Malappuram Magistrate Court, which said that the girl died by suicide due to the mental distress caused by the abuse. The Karate coach, identified as Sadheek Ali, was charged with abetment of suicide in connection with the teenager's death.
Currently, Sadheek Ali is in jail over the cases filed against him by the girl and multiple other girls who were trained under him.
The family is not convinced that the girl died by suicide as her body was found in the shallow part of the river, “where nobody can drown.” The girl was wearing a kurta and churidhar when she went missing but the top was missing from the body. “Police said that it could have happened due to river currents. But her footwear was intact on her feet,” her sister recalled.
In March 2024, a month after the death, the local police handed over the case to Kozhikode Crime Branch.
“At least they should consider that she was found dead after handing over a 14 page letter about the abuse to the police. It's been two years, and nothing positive has happened on the complaint regarding our demand to investigate her death," her sister said.
She alleged that from the very beginning, police considered the case a suicide and never attempted a proper investigation. “We had complained about the poor and biased investigation to higher officials also. Now, the police have filed the charge sheet concluding that it's a suicide," she said.
A year ago, the girl’s family approached with a writ petition requesting a CBI inquiry, and the petition is still pending.
On February 19, the second death anniversary of the girl’s death and the first day of Ramadan, individuals associated with Justice for Chaliyar Victim, an action committee formed to seek justice for her, conducted a public program in Malappuram and urged for an unbiased investigation by a higher agency.
Althiya, a Women’s Collective in Kerala, on February 23 met with the Education Minister of Kerala and submitted their request to issue clear guidelines regarding permissions for opening training institutes, in the background of the Saddique Ali karate case.
“In Kerala, anyone can provide arts and sports training to children. Recently, there have been many complaints that such training activities are affecting children’s safety. There have been incidents escalating to murder and sexual assault,” they said in a press note.