DNA report says Badaun victims were not raped

CBI sources said they are not ruling out honour killing angle.

August 20, 2014 08:37 pm | Updated December 04, 2021 11:37 pm IST - New Delhi

In this May 31, 2014 photo, villagers gather near the site from where two sisters were found hanging from a tree, at Katra Shahadatganj village in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh.

In this May 31, 2014 photo, villagers gather near the site from where two sisters were found hanging from a tree, at Katra Shahadatganj village in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh.

In a new twist in the Badaun killings case, the Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) has ruled out sexual assault on the teenage girls whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in May.

CBI sources said it is crucial information from one of the most reputed government labs which has cleared a lot of doubts about the theory of the cousins being sexually assaulted before being killed and the needle of suspicion is now on the family members.

The sources said they are not ruling out honour killing angle.

The sources said the report has ruled out sexual assault on the victims and it will now be sent to a three-member medical panel for forming an opinion on the mysterious killings.

They said with sexual assault being ruled out, the accused clearing the lie-detection test and inconsistencies in the statements of eyewitness, the suspicion is now on the family members. The sources said they are not ruling out honour killing angle in the matter but have not concluded anything so far.

Sources in the CBI said that the agency will not exhume the bodies now as the report from CDFD has given them enough forensic evidence which could help them crack the case.

The sources said the bail pleas of five accused — Pappu, Awadhesh and Urvesh Yadav (all three brothers) and constables Chhatrapal Yadav and Sarvesh Yadav — will not be opposed by the agency as there is no clear evidence against them.

According to the law, an accused can get bail if CBI fails to file a charge sheet against them within 90 days that ends on August 28.

The two cousin sisters — aged 14 and 15 — were found hanging from a tree in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh in the last week of May, an incident which sparked national outrage with the Samajwadi Party government in the state coming under fire on the issue of law and order situation.

The findings of CBI are in sync with the observations of Uttar Pradesh DGP A.L. Banerjee who had claimed that the rape of one of the victims was not confirmed and property could be one of the motives behind the crime.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.