NCPCR recommends probe by central agency into minor murder case in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Dec 19: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Saturday asked the Odisha government to recommend a central agency to probe into the alleged murder of a 5-year-old girl in Odisha's Nayagarh district in July. The commission said the police probe into the murder case of the minor girl was severely flawed with glaring defects. In view of the erroneous investigation conducted by the police authorities in this serious incident of murder of a minor girl, the Commission recommended that disciplinary action be taken against the investigating officers in the matter. In a statement, it requested to recommend a thorough investigation of this incident by a central agency. The Commission had asked the Superintendent of Police (SP) and district magistrate of Nayagarh to provide certain documents such as the age proof of the victim and a copy of the FIR. Notably, the state government has constituted a special investigation team (SIT), which is investigating the case. "When such serious discrepancies are present in the preliminary investigation in this case then it becomes difficult to rely on the subsequent investigation that would be undertaken by SIT as well," the NCPCR observed. The five-year-old girl went missing while playing in front of her house at Jadupur village of Nayagarh district on July 14. Her skeletal remains were found on July 23. (IANS)