Thiruvananthapuram : The brutal murder of a 30-year-old law student after a sexual assault at her home near Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district on April 28 triggered a huge outrage in Kerala on Tuesday.
Hundreds of people from various walks of life poured into streets across the state protesting against the savage incident, a grim reminder of the nationwide outrage fueled by the gang-rape of Nirbhaya on a moving bus in New Delhi in December 2012. Many even consider the murder of the Dalit woman worse than the Nirbhaya case since it happened in broad daylight and in the “safety” of home. The post-mortem report of the Dalit woman has revealed that she was brutally assaulted before being murdered.
The assailant pulled out her intestines using a sharp weapon. Her genitals were also found struck with an iron rod. More than 30 injuries were found on her body, including two on her chest and one on the head. The autopsy report has cited the severe injury on the head as the main reason of her death.
NIRBHAYA-2 was found dead at her one-room house by mother Rajeswari when she returned from work around 7.30 am. Rajeshwari, who is a daily wage worker, has been living alone with her daughter after her husband separated from the family years ago.
According to the police, the victim completed her LLB course at the Government Law College, Ernakulam, but could not clear some subjects and had been preparing for the exam in the pending papers.
Rajeswari told a television channel that they had faced threats from their neighbours. She said they had lodged many complaints with the police but they did not take any action. Nirbhaya-2’s sister said the neighbours wanted them to leave the place. The police were initially slow in investigating the murder. They woke up only after the incident went viral in the social media. Following mounting protests in the social media and on the streets, a special team under central range inspector general Mahipal Singh was constituted to probe the case.
The team has taken two persons into custody. The two, who are said to be local residents, are being interrogated. The probe team has not divulged their names and details so far.
The IG said that the crime was committed by one person. He said that some people had seen the man entering Nirbhaya-2’s house and heard an angry exchange. However, he could not confirm whether the two persons in custody had any connection with the crime.
With Assembly elections round the corner, the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) has taken up the case as an election issue. Chief Minister Oomen Chandy promised a thorough probe into the incident.
