Delhi police said that the district authorities have sought protection for the parents of the Dalit girl who was allegedly raped and killed in the Old Southgarh district of southwestern Delhi last week. A police officer said that in a letter to the police, the District Magistrate (SDM) also asked for protection of two other people who claimed to be witnesses to the crime.
However, the police insisted that no one had witnessed the incident. The girl died on August 1 under suspicious circumstances, including her parents’ claims that she was forcibly raped and cremated by a priest at the crematorium.
The officials stated that the girl’s parents and two “witnesses” claimed to threaten their lives and sought protection. Deputy Chief of Police (Southwest) Ingit Pratap Singh said: “We received a letter from SDM requesting protection for the victim’s family and two other people. In this regard, we have written to the task force, which carries out a threat assessment, and then provides protection from the local level.
“All beat staff have been notified. He said that they have been posted outside the victim’s home to avoid any adverse events. Since the day of the incident, the police have deployed a large number of police officers on the scene.
The 9-year-old Dalit girl lives with her parents in a rental house opposite the crematorium. On August 1, he fetched water from the freezer in the crematorium. At approximately 6 p.m. on the same day, the priest Radhey Shyam from the crematorium and the other two called the girl’s mother to the scene. They showed the girl’s body to her mother and claimed that she was electrocuted while searching for water. He has burn marks between his left wrist and elbow, and his lips are also blue.
Father persuaded her mother to stop making calls to the PCR, saying that the police would open a case and steal the girl’s organs during the autopsy, and that cremation is best.
The girl was cremated, but later her parents claimed that this was done without their consent.
Four people, including the priest, have been arrested in this case. The case was later transferred to the Crimes Division.
