Aligarh Girl Murder: No lawyer to appear for accused, says Bar Association

Members of the Aligarh Bar Association have said no lawyer would appear for the accused in the brutal murder case of a three-year-old girl whose body was found recently. Anoop Kaushik, general secretary, Aligarh Bar Association, news agency told ANI: “We stand with the family of the girl who was murdered in Tappal and no advocate will appear in the court for the accused. Advocate from outside will not be allowed to fight the case. We will fight for the child.”

In a heart-wrenching incident, the man with the help of his aide, allegedly kidnapped a two-year-old girl from outside her house and murdered her brutally over a monetary dispute of Rs 10,000 with her father. The post-mortem report of the baby revealed shocking details about the murder.

On Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested two more accused in the case. With these arrests, the total number of people arrested in the case has gone to four.

According to reports, the wife and brother of Zahid, one of the two main accused, were picked up on Saturday morning by the special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the killing of the two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Tappal township.

"They were later arrested," a senior police official said.

Shockingly, one of the accused in the murder, had been booked for allegedly raping his own daughter back in 2014 but he was granted bail a few months after the registration of the case.

Aligarh SSP Akash Kulhari confirmed one of the two accused had a criminal history. Two separate cases of POCSO are pending against him and he had gone to jail in connection with an abduction case in Delhi, the SSP said.

Kulhari said officials probing the Aligarh case are looking into the phone records of all suspects.

"The police are in the process of building a water-tight case against the accused so that it stands all legal scrutiny and speedy justice is delivered through a fast-track court. We are checking phone records of all suspects to trace the crime trail," he said.

Kulhari, who camped in the area till late Friday, warned mischief mongers that strong action would be taken if they try to spread rumours through social media.

Tension had prevailed in the area after the victim's family alleged that police officials delayed the registration of their complaint and the investigation. Five policemen have been suspended for negligence and Kulhari Friday assured the locals that justice would be done in the case.

The SSP reiterated that the postmortem examination by a panel of three doctors found "no evidence of sexual assault" but police were taking no chances and forensic experts are examining vaginal swabs for any further evidence.

The incident has triggered massive outrage. Political leaders and celebrities have tweeted their angst and disgust over the crime.