New Delhi: CBI on Thursday took over the probe intothe rape and murder of two teenaged girls in Badaun of Uttar Pradesh two weeks back with the case having sparked angry reactions the world over.
CBI last evening received a notification from the Department of Personnel and Training and thereafter proceeded to register the case and constitute a 20-member team of the
Delhi-based special crime unit to probe the matter.
The team, which is to be headed by a DIG-level officer, will visit Badaun tomorrow along with forensic experts who arelikely to examine and recreate the crime scene.
The agency will also seek the custody of the accused who
have been arrested in connection with the case by Uttar Pradesh police. "We have received a notification from the government and registered a case," CBI Director Ranjit Sinha told reporters here on the sidelines of the investiture ceremony of the 17th batch of sub-inspectors of the agency.CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said the agency has asked UP government to extend logistical support to it for the probe.
The two girls, cousins aged 14 and 15 years, were
allegedly gangraped and murdered and their bodies were found hanging from a tree a day after they went missing on May 27 ina village in the Ushait area in Badaun. UP police have registered a case against seven accused, of whom five -- three brothers, Pappu, Awadhesh and Urvesh Yadav, and constables Chhatrapal Yadav and Sarvesh Yadav -- have been arrested.
In a twist to the case, UP DGP AL Banerjee had claimed that rape of one of the victims was not confirmed while suggesting that property could be one of the motives behind the crime. The UP top cop had claimed that several important facts had come to light in connection with the case after an examination by experts. He had said that although a lot of evidence could have been collected immediately after the discovery of the crime, local police had made no extra effort to do so. The double rape and murder triggered nationwide outrage and the Akhilesh Yadav government has drawn flak over the law and order situation in UP with political parties and civil society activists calling for a CBI probe into the matter.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati have also visited the homes of the two victims to express their sympathy for the bereaved families.
Badaun is situated about 300-km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.
The case has even drawn criticism from United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon who said, "We have seen despicable attacks against women and girls around the world... I was especially appalled by the brutal rape and gruesome murder of two teenaged women in India who had ventured out because they did not have access to a toilet."