The Delhi Police filed a chargesheet in a court in the city on Saturday, August 28, against a crematorium priest and three others for the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old Dalit girl in the Delhi Cantonment area earlier this month.
The 400-page final report named Radhey Shyam, the 55-year-old priest of the crematorium in South-West district, and its employees– Kuldeep Singh, Salim Ahmad and Laxmi Narayan as accused–claiming there was sufficient evidence against them.
The accused were charged under sections 302 (murder), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 376D (gang rape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
The four have also been charge-sheeted under Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and Section 3 (offences of atrocities) of the SC/ST Act. All the accused are currently in judicial custody.
The report was filed before Duty Magistrate Manu Shree, who kept it for the consideration of the court concerned for August 31. The case was transferred to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police on August 5.
The final report has also included a report by the special investigating team, which was formed by the crime branch for expeditious and professional investigation.
During the investigation, scientific, technical and other evidence was gathered and analysed, besides recording testimonies of relevant witnesses. Assistance was taken from Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini as well as Delhi Police's Forensic Experts on Biology and Odontology, the police said. It said that forensic psychologists were also engaged during the interrogation of the accused and a report has been included in the final one.
The Delhi Police registered a case against the four on the basis of the statement of the minor's mother, who alleged that her daughter was raped and murdered and later cremated without the family's consent on August 1.
In a statement, the Union Home Ministry said the filing of the chargesheet shows the government's commitment to act speedily to ensure stringent punishment for those committing crimes against women and girls. Keeping in view the sensitivity of the case, the chargesheet has been submitted within 30 days, the statement said.