Walayar: Governor to seek report from govt on acquittal of accused

Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the outrage overacquittal of the accused in the case of sexual assault and murder of two minor Dalit sisters, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday said he would seek a report from the LDF government and ensure justice was done.

He also indicated the Pinarayi Vijayan government, whichhas been facing flak over the development, would file an appeal against the October 25 verdict of the POCSO court in Palakkad.

'I will surely ask for a report. I have been told thatthe government is going for an appeal against the decision. We will take it up with the government and see that justice is done,' Khan told reporters here.

His comments come in the backdrop of protests by opposition Congress-led UDF and BJP and non-political outfits that rocked the state in the past few days after a POCSO court in Palakkad on October 25 acquitted three men charged withsexual assault and murder of the two girls - aged 13 and 9 -in their home at Walayar near Palakkad in 2017.

The autopsy report had revealed the sisters were sexually assaulted.

In all, four accused had been acquitted by the court for lack of evidence, while a 17-year-old minor boy is the last accused in the case. The juvenile court will consider his caseon November 15.

General Secretary of the Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha(KPMS), a prominent Dalit organisation, Punnala Sreekumar on Wednesday demanded a probe by agency like the CBI.

'It's better an independent agency like CBI probe thematter.... It seems like lapses were on part of both the prosecution and the police,' he said.

The opposition parties have accused the government of supporting the 'culprits'.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes on Tuesday had said it would summon the state chief secretary and the DGP over the matter.

The Congress had on Monday disrupted the proceedings ofthe assembly over the matter while Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured that the government would seriously consider the matter.