A chilling incident unfolded in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore on Thursday after a 10-year-old girl, who had stepped out of her home to buy groceries, went missing and was later found dead near Kannampalayam Lake in the city’s Surur area on Friday, sending shockwaves through the locals.
According to police, two men identified as Karthik and Mohan Raj allegedly abducted and killed her. The police said a probe into the circumstances surrounding the abduction-murder is underway.
Girl's family protesting outside police station
Family stages sit-ins outside police station
In the aftermath of the incident, the victim’s mournful kin staged a protest outside the Sulur police station, demanding swift justice and strict punishment for the accused duo. They said confusion and uncertainty surrounded the cases for several hours before the cops learnt of the child’s death.
A relative of the girl, named Senthil Kumar, said, “We do not know what exactly happened. Initially, we were told that the girl was missing, but we were later informed that she had been found dead near the lake shore.”
Hundreds of students and local residents have also joined the roadblock protests, seeking justice for the young victim.
Accused duo who committed the crime
TN CM Vijay takes cognisance of incident
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (CM) Joseph Vijay took cognisance of the incident, terming it ‘inhuman ‘ and ‘unforgivable.’ He posted a message in Tamil on his official ‘X’ handle, which translated to- “The horrific incident that took place yesterday to a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore causes immense grief and shock. Such inhuman and unforgivable criminal acts can never be tolerated in our society.”
He issued the statement after the girl’s family refused to accept the body from the mortuary until they received assurance from the government regarding strict action. Following the developments, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Sandeep Rai Rathore also rushed to the city to review the progress of the probe.
Political blame game ensues
The case rapidly snowballed into a political flashpoint in the state, as opposition parties targeted the newly-formed TVK government over the state’s law-and-order situation.
Udayanidhi Stalin
Leader of Opposition, Udayanidhi Stalin alleged that approximately 30 crimes had occurred within just 12 days of the new government assuming office. DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai also questioned TVK’s promises on women’s safety, while BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy blamed the previous administration for the deterioration of law-and-order.