Progressive Organisation for Women and other women organisations in the city on Wednesday, demanded judicial inquiry into the mysterious death of Roja, whose body was found in a well, about 5 km from her home at Anantavaram in Padmanabham mandal under the city police commissionerate limits on July 11, two days after she went missing. The 22-year-old woman was married 10 days before her death.
Addressing a press conference, State general secretary of POW M Lakshmi said though people from seven surrounding villages, her family members and relatives have shown enough evidence to prove it was an alleged murder, the police and revenue officials instead of taking up an investigation were making all efforts to save the accused and his friends of the same village.
According to Ms. Lakshmi, the tehsildar who came for the inquest had mentioned that Roja committed suicide, as she was forced to marry a person against her wish.
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It was after our dharnas and submission of a petition to the Commissioner of Police that the authorities concerned conducted a re-postmortem by exhuming the body, 25 days after her death, said Ms. Lakshmi. Subsequently, aacused Santosh and his friends were arrested.
According to Ms. Lakshmi, the sub-inspector of Padmanabham police station had mentioned in his report that Santosh and Roja, after spending some time in a school, went to a temple in Darakonda, about 5 km from Anantavaram to offer puja and while returning, Roja asked him to marry her. When he refused, she got down from the motorcycle and jumped into the well.
“In fact the well was not located on the way to temple. It was far from the road on which they travelled,’’ Ms Lakshmi said and added that if Roja wanted to end her life there were three wells close to her home.
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The police are also hiding important evidence-the mobile phone of Roja, she alleged.
Only a judicial inquiry can establish the crime and book the culprits for murder, said the parents of Roja, who were present at the press conference.
A case has been booked under section 306 and 497 of IPC after pressure was built up by the villagers. The main accused Santosh and five others are now under judicial custody.
The POW also demanded action against the police and revenue officials who were trying to dilute the case and establish it as a suicide.