Alleging “failure” on part of the forensic team to help crack a Dalit woman’s rape and murder case in Kerala, Union minister Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday called for strengthening of this crime research department in the police.
The minister said the forensic science laboratories have failed “miserably” in providing any service to the investigating team to identify the real culprit in the murder of the woman.
“One of the things that should emerge from this case is strengthening forensic (capabilities) in the police. The forensic department is always to blame for miscarriage of justice,” the minister claimed.
A team of NCW that visited Kerala to investigate the alleged rape and murder claimed the police are functioning under “undue influence” and the probe may “not be fair” due to “electoral considerations”.
“The inquiry committee visited the crime spot and found that the crime scene had been deliberately compromised. So it was totally contaminated on all fundamental evidences further weakening the case,” she said.
Citing examples of Aarushi murder case and a forgery case related to Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre, run by her, Gandhi alleged that most of the cases handled by the forensic department are declared as “indeterminant”.
“Most of the cases they handle are ‘indeterminent’ or ‘cannot make out’. We filed an RTI to ask what percentage is ‘indeterminant’ and they said 99 per cent. And when we asked why, they said they do not want to get involved with the police cases,” she claimed.
“I even wrote a letter to the Police Commissioner saying that this system is so corrupt. You have a forensic department that writes off every bit of evidence by saying indeterminant, ruining the case right there only because they do not want to get involved in the case,” she alleged.
Reading out from the report, Gandhi said, the woman, her mother and sister were allegedly harassed by their neighbours but the police did not act despite repeated complaints.
“This family was harassed by their neighbours. The mother of the victim repeatedly accused one of the neighbours before the police. And that neighbour still has not been picked up. She (the mother) had reported earlier about their threats to her, to the police authorities that never took any action. They were told they were going to be raped. They were told they were going to be killed,” Gandhi said, reading from the report.