Despite 'ample suspicion', Chhattisgarh cops acquitted in tribal teen girl's murder

Justice continues to elude the family of a tribal girl, Meena Khalkho, in Chhattisgarh, who was allegedly gangraped and killed in a fake encounter by the police in 2011.

A Chhattisgarh court has acquitted two policemen, Dharmdutt Dhaniya and Jeevan Lal Ratnakar, charged with the death of a tribal girl in an alleged fake encounter, though there was “ample suspicion” against them. Dhaniya who is currently serving in the National Security Guard, and Ratnakar, a constable with Chhattisgarh armed police, were not convicted because there was no strong evidence against them, said the court..

The girl’s family were shocked and upset with the acquittal of the cops. But, they had no means to pursue the case further. The victim’s mother Gutiyari Khalkho told NDTV that they were tired of the legal battle. “The policemen shot and killed her after rape, but we can only remember her, what else we can do,” Khalkho told the channel.

According to Raipur session judge Shobhna Koshta, despite “ample suspicion of the commission of the offence by the accused”, the court could not convict the accused primarily because of an “improper investigation”. This resulted in deficiency of evidence, which was necessary to convict the accused.

A joint team of Balrampur district police and Chhattisgarh Armed Force near Chando village of Balrampur district had killed Meena Khalkho on July 5, 2011. The police claimed she was a Maoist but the villagers said the tribal was gangraped and murdered by the police.

Also read: 6 Maoists killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh-Telangana border

Her post-mortem had revealed that she had injuries in her private parts, and there was semen on her clothes. There was also the possibility of multiple intercourses. Due to the  outrage and anger by the public, a judicial commission was set up to probe the incident. It was headed by a district judge.

Justice Anita Jha, who submitted her 45-page report in the state assembly in 2015, had confirmed that a “police bullet” had killed Meena. Moreover, she had questioned the police’s claims of an encounter and the fact that the minor girl was a Naxalite. Also, the report said that the injuries on the girl’s body suggested “forced sexual intercourse with her”.

Another investigation was ordered and the state’s Crime Investigation Department lodged a fresh case under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of IPC into the case. Subsequently, Dhaniya, Ratnakar and Chando station in-charge Nikodin khes (who died during the trial) were booked under IPC 302.

According to Meena’s family, the girl had gone to her friend’s house and they had assumed that she had stayed over at her friend’s house. It was only the next day they learnt she had been killed.

The family alleged that the policemen had raped and killed her and later branded her a Maoist. The cops should have been punished but they had no means to pursue the case now, said one family member to the TV channel.