How the Walayar deaths case became a blot on Kerala’s image
KOCHI: The Walayar case, pertaining to two minor Dalit sisters who were found dead after being sexually assaulted in 2017, has become a blot on the state’s image. Now that the parents of the deceased children are holding a satyagraha demanding a High Court-monitored probe, The New Indian Express revisits the case, analysing the shoddy probe done by police allegedly to help the accused go scot free.
It was after the death of the second child on March 4, 2017 that the police launched a detailed probe into the death of the first child which occurred on January 13, 2017.
A senior police officer, who was then privy to the probe, reiterated that the shoddy probe into the death of the first child resulted in jeopardising the entire case. “If the first incident was probed genuinely, the life of the younger girl could have been saved. Police could have proved the case with the help of her,” the officer said.
In March 2020, police re-arrested three persons – V Madhu, K Madhu and Pradeep Kumar --who were earlier exonerated by the Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Court. They were rearrested following an order by the High Court. Later, the accused were produced before the court and released on bail. There are two more accused in the case – one has been identified as Shibu and the other is a juvenile.
How police scuttled the probe?
After the first death, police failed to conduct a detailed probe into the sexual abuse, including collection of scientific evidence, even when the post-mortem report had clearly mentioned signs of multiple mucosal erosions in the victim’s rectum.
Police also didn’t bother to interact with the younger child.As per an internal inquiry conducted by the police department, Walayar police station released V Madhu, a relative of the children, who was taken into custody based on suspicion and the statement given by the mother after the first death.
A senior official said Madhu was released from police custody after a few local politicians intervened. A departmental inquiry also found that two senior officers in the rank of circle inspector and a DySP holding offices in Palakkad division at that time also intervened for the release of Madhu. The office of the then Thrissur range Inspector General, M R Ajith Kumar, which found lapses on the part of the three officers issued notices seeking explanation and even suspended an officer.
Lack of scientific evidence cited
Lack of scientific evidence was one of the main reasons for the Palakkad District and Sessions Court to acquit one of the main accused, Pradeep Kumar. The then additional sessions court judge Muralee Krishna S had noted, “No semen or sperma-tozoa could be collected either from the specimen collected from the deceased girl or from the dresses of the accused. There is absolute absence of scientific evidence to connect the accused with the alleged offence.” The court also found that the state-ments of many witnesses were contra-dictory and did not have valid grounds to prove the crime.