Delhi Cantt Murder Case: Deceased Dalit Girl Was Abused By The Priest In Past Too

Delhi Cantt Murder case: The main accused in Delhi Cantt crematorium rape and murder case has allegedly said that he had abused the deceased minor in past as well.  A 9-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gangraped and murdered at a crematorium in Delhi on August 1. The main accused, Radhe Shyam was a priest at the crematorium. He and his associates had hurriedly cremated the Dalit girl's body without the consent of her parents. Four men were arrested in the case after widespread public outrage over the crime.

Trigger warning: This article contains graphic details of sexual assault and child abuse.

The 55-year-old priest and other employees at the crematorium, namely, Kuldeep Singh, Salim Ahmed and Laxmi Narayan were arrested in connection to the case. The accused had claimed that the girl died of electrocution when she came to fetch water from a cooler. However, her family had alleged that the men had raped and murdered her. Post this, they hurriedly cremated her body.

In order to frame charges against the offender, the police relied on his disclosure statements, public witnesses and CCTV footage. As per the police chargesheet, Shyam revealed to the police on August 2 that the girl frequented the crematorium to fetch drinking water or take a bath. The chargesheet said that he got her to give him "massages" and showed her pornographic content. It further stated that the priest confessed to touching the child inappropriately in the past.

On that day too, Shyam asked the girl to give him a massage. At that time Singh allegedly suggested that they assault the girl. The priest sent Ahmed to "buy jalebi" while he and Singh reportedly took turns to rape the minor. The police stated that the minor died due to suffocation during the assault. The rapists got "rattled after she stopped breathing" and decided to cremate her, faking death due to electrocution.

Hurried cremation to remove evidence

The accused convinced her parents that the minor had died of electrocution. To do this, they allegedly poured water on her body. Shyam "created fear" in the mind of the girl's mother. He told her that her daughter's organs would be removed during the post-mortem procedure. The offenders allegedly offered her Rs. 20,000 and asked her to cremate the body free of cost. Even though the mother was not in favour of the cremation, Shyam asked his fellow workers to prepare the pyre. With Singh's help, he placed the body on the pyre and set it on fire. By the time locals came and pulled the body off the pyre, it was burnt to a large extent.

The police claimed that Shyam also threw a bedsheet and a cell phone into the pyre. According to the chargesheet, the accused allegedly used the bedsheet during the assault. On the other hand, the mobile phone was one on which Shyam allegedly watched porn. The girl's father reached the crematorium and confronted the priest over why they cremated the body in his absence. The chargesheet further stated that the accused threatened the girl's parents. They took advantage of their poverty and illiteracy. They also used their dominant caste to force the cremation of the Dalit girl.

Read more on the case here.

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