KOZHIKODE: The proceedings in the case of the minor girl at Pandikkad in Malappuram, who had suffered sexual abuse from a large number of people, seems to have got stuck.
The police say they are forced to move cautiously because there are incongruities in her deposition. At the same time, the Malappuram district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has dismissed the police theory.
The now 17-year-old girl had suffered abuse by close to 100 persons. More than 60 of them have been arrested. Around 80 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act cases have been registered since 2016 which involve 75 FIRs. She had deposed before the magistrate against a former CWC chairman as well.
"We are examining the nitty-gritty of each deposition and checking whether the details match with our findings. That is why the proceedings are taking time," said Pandikkad Inspector of Police Amrith Gangan. As there are 80-odd cases, these have been distributed among various SHOs.
Another police officer said the discrepancies in the girl's deposition have made things complex. "The girl identifies picture of an accused on Instagram but not when his real picture is shown. Similarly, in some cases, the place and time of abuse are not matching. The places of occurrence like hospital toilet, inside a shop etc seem unlikely to happen at first sight," said the officer.
What CWC says
Present CWC Chairman Shajesh Bhaskar told TNIE that he doesn't buy the police theory. "It is common sense that a minor girl who had undergone a series of abuse will be shell shocked and could forget place, date, time and such details. If there are so many accused, she might get confused. The police have to support and help her overcome the confusion," he said.
The CWC is now providing psychological and psychiatric support to the girl with the cooperation of experts from Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri.
The New Indian Express learnt that there is suspicion among various quarters that delay on the part of the police came after the girl deposed against the former CWC chairman.
Meanwhile, sources said the accused former chairman has approached the Pocso court for anticipatory bail.
According to the girl's deposition, he had first abused her at his office, where he is practising as a junior lawyer under a senior advocate. As per her
deposition, he had abused her more than once.
Meanwhile, police say that there is political interest at play as well, as the accused ex-CWC chairman is identified with a political party.
TIMELINE OF THE CASE