Anatomy Of A Murder
- Bodies of three sisters바카라all under 10바카라 are recovered from a well in Murmadi, a village in the Bhandara district of Maharashtra
- They had disappeared two days earlier; rape was suspected but couldn바카라t be proved in forensic tests
- Mother has been detained for questioning, grandparents are suspect too
- The family has lost two sons, father and uncle several years ago
- Case has assumed political overtones as in Khairlanji case
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Till a few news days ago, Murmadi was just another village in Bhandara district, about 90 km from Nagpur, on the Mumbai-Calcutta national highway. Notoriety belonged to KhairÂlanji, in the same district, where the killing of a Dalit family in 2006 had evoked national horror and furore. On February 16, however, Murmadi too lost its innocence and anonymity, when the bodies of three sisters, all under 10, were recÂovered from a well in a nearby village. The girls had possibly been raped or sexually assaulted, and thrÂown into the well after being killed. Police claim to have nearly cracked the case and zerÂoed in on three suspects.
In Murmadi itself, things are rather bizarre: everyone is suspect and everyone is a spy. ConÂversation is brief, in hushed tones, and accompanied by a scrutinising look. A swirl of allegations, conspiracy theories and rumours has enveloped the village, its air rendered dense with politics and suspicion. The cops took the mother for questioning on the aftÂernoon of March 5; she hadn바카라t been released more than 24 hours later. The grandparents are being probed as well. As is a tenant.
Their grandfather recounts the fateful day on February 14, when the girls disappeared. 바카라People say the elder one bunked school and pulled the younger sisters out of the primary school nearby. We realised they were missing only when someone brought the younger siblings바카라 schoolbags home in the eveÂning. The bodies were found on February 16 evening. Why did the cops take four hours to take the missing complaint? They did nothing after that.바카라
The girls바카라 mum and grandparents. (Photograph by Sunny Shende)
Inspector Prakash Munde has been suspended for not acting on the plaint. But allegations of delay in conducting the post-mortem and sending faulty bone samples continue. As do the protests, fasts and vociferous demands for a separate CBI probe. The cops in charge say it is far from an open-and-shut case. 바카라We바카라ve questioned hundreds of people...it바카라s the most unfortunate, most complicated and one of the rarest cases we바카라ve seen,바카라 says SP Arti Singh. 바카라We바카라ve sent teams to Rajasthan, UP and Orissa. We바카라ve investigated all angles: revenge, lust, proÂperty, superstition (human sacrifice),바카라 elaborates IG Rajendra Singh.
As of now, the cause and time of death have not been ascertained. Although the post-mortem report mentions rape and murder, the forensic reports that folloÂwed seemed to refute it. A case has been registered for the offences of rape, murder and destruction of evidence. The police are guarding the crime scene바카라an old but functioning well and an adjoining pump room.
Back in the village, the people themselves have got into the act. Prompted by the inaction of the cops, groups of women from the village had set out to look for the girls on the night of Feb 14. Now, a committee of 20 men and women has got together to aggregate information and pass it on to the cops. Posters and boxes have been put up to encourage people to provide information anonymously, and a reward of Rs 1 lakh announced for providing clues.
Those clues might well lie along the small bylane of neat concrete houses leading up to the primary school and the main road, where the girls were seen till 3 pm. Villagers hold the family바카라the grandfather, who had reportedly made the girls heirs to his property; the grandmother, who reportedly did not get along with the mother; and the mother, who reportedly was too ill or too preoccupied to 바카라look after and train바카라 the girls바카라responsible for failing to notice their absence till evening. 바카라They always played outside by themselves till late. The elder one used to carry a large amount of money,바카라 says one neighbour. A fact corroborated by shopkeeper MarÂuti Padole, who saw them last at 2 pm on February 14. 바카라For the past three months or so,바카라 Padole says, 바카라she had been carrying 100-rupee notes.바카라 She apparently used to like Kinder Joy chocolates, which have a secret toy inside them.
The well where the bodies were found. (Photograph by Sunny Shende)
She had gotten into the habit of stealing, say the grandparents. She loved expensive toys, they add, but would tear them apart. 바카라She was getting out of hand,바카라 declares the grandfather. It is hard to tell if he is fed up of the incessant media and political attention or he actually means what he is saying. The grandmother too nods vigorously.
However, Rekha Pawar, the principal of Rani Laxmibai Girl바카라s High School, where the elder sibling studied, categorically warns against the linking of such theories to their disappearance. 바카라We had never received a single complaint about the girl,바카라 she says. 바카라She was always regular. We don바카라t know if she was in touch with anyone outside the school, but there was no indication. In any case, they cannot be held responsible for their security at this age. It is the duty of their guardians.바카라
The family had lost two sons, the sisters바카라 father and uncle, several years go. The ailing mother initially alleged that her mother-in-law threatened to kill the girls because of their grandfather바카라s will. However, the police say there is no evidence to link her to the murders. One possible suspect was some 바카라mama바카라, but the trail again led nowhere. 바카라DisÂputes and fights are common among families,바카라 says Seema Uke, a neighbour. 바카라But no one kills children for that.바카라 Uke was called by the police to speak to the mother. 바카라She was very scared and crying like a child. We told her not to worry and come clean.바카라 Adds another neighbour, Ashwini Chole, 바카라We do not know about her personal life and we never saw any visitors. But it is wrong to associate all this with the crime. She keeps on saying she doesn바카라t know any suspect.바카라
Activists too emphasise rumours shoÂuld not be entertained. 바카라It is wrong to let people say that because someone was naughty or irreverent, they deserve to be raped or killed,바카라 says Smita Sarode-Singhalkar, a lawyer and activist as well as a member of the fact-finding committee appointed by the National ComÂmission for Women. 바카라It is clear that somebody was using the elder girl to get to all three sisters. We have been asking for an independent probe.바카라
A case of personal dispute, revenge or lust may assume political overtones a la Khairlanji. An all-party protest and fast started by NCP leader Sevakbhau VaghÂaye is in its second week. Sitting BJP MLA Nana Patole plans to take the fight to the assembly. 바카라Instead of issuing a cheque of Rs 10 lakh, the state machinery needs to focus on catching the criminals. There seems to be no fear of law,바카라 he says.
Caught between these political promises and warnings, police interrogations and neighbour바카라s gossip is a family which is being seen as both victim and suspect in a saga that saw three minor girls being killed, for reasons known to none.
By Prachi Pinglay-Plumber in Bhandara
