HUBBALLI: The worst fears of the parents of the minor who was murdered in Hubballi came true when Nagalakshmi Choudhary, president of the Karnataka State Women’s Commission, said the initial investigation indicated rape on the minor.
On Monday, she visited the family of the five-year-old victim in Hubballi. There were brutal wounds on the private parts of the child who was found murdered at a toilet in an under-construction building on Sunday, she said. “The postmortem report is yet to be received, while the samples have been sent to FSL,” she said.
On Sunday, the girl was kidnapped, raped and murdered by Ritesh Kumar, 35. He was shot dead by the police the same evening during the mahazar.
Nagalakshmi said she will write to deputy commissioners and police chiefs of districts to ensure awareness campaigns on the safety aspects of women working in the unorganised sector. She is also making some recommendations to the state government to improve the illumination and to install CCTV cameras in cities. She pointed out that the CCTV footage led to the arrest of the accused in this case.
On Monday, the last rites of the minor were held at Devangpet burial ground. A large number of local residents took part.
Earlier, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, district in-charge minister Santosh Lad and Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu visited KIMS Hospital and consoled the grieving parents.
Joshi called it an incident that shames civil society. Appreciating the swift action by the police, he praised their courage in apprehending the accused. “This is a horrific crime that shakes the conscience of society. It is unbearable to even look at the little girl’s body. Such brutality causes deep pain,” said the minister.