IDUKKI: The locals and relatives are protesting the acquittal of the accused Arjun in the case of raping and killing a six-year-old girl in Vandiperiyar. Some emotional and dramatic scenes were witnessed in the court premises. The relatives demanded that they want their old judge alleging that the one who pronounced the verdict now accepted money and delivered the verdict in favour of the accused. The girl’s family told media that the accused was acquitted even after the judge was a woman.

‘He raped and killed my daughter born after 14 years, in the pooja room. I fed her. She was everything for me. He killed my daughter...she didn't get justice, the people here know everything, he is going to live happily now, we lost our child,’ said the family.

Meantime, KPCC general secretary Roy K Paulose said there has been a very serious lapse in this case. There was political interference in the case when the investigation was going on. The accused is a worker associated with the party. He is a known regional leader of DYFI. Roy said that they had raised objection of unnecessary interference from the ruling party on the police while the investigation was going on.

‘We are not the only ones levelling this allegation. When the girl’s parents came against the police investigation, protests were staged at the Vandiperiyar police station. We have mentioned that no honest investigation is going on. We had requested the top police officials to investigate the case properly. With this judgment it is clear that there was clear intervention in the case. There has been a serious lapse from the side of the prosecution in this case,' said Roy.

The accused who raped and killed the girl is a respectable public servant in the society. That is the seriousness of this incident. The verdict pronounced today is shocking. All aspects of the case should be examined.The court observed that murder and rape could not be proved in the case. The girl was killed on June 30 in 2021. The defense lawyer said the police fabricated evidence and stuck it on Arjun. The lawyer also stated that since he was the leader of DYFI, used false witnesses to trap him.

However, T D Sunil Kumar, the officer who investigated the case, stated that the charge sheet was submitted to the court after collecting scientific evidence. He also said that the possibility of appeal will be examined.