Aligarh Minor Murder: Local Lawyers Refuse to Appear for Accused

New Delhi: Amid outrage over the murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old old girl in Aligarh, members of the local bar association have said no lawyer would appear for the accused in the court.

Anoop Kaushik, General Secretary, Aligarh Bar Association, told ANI, “We stand with the family of the girl who was murdered in Tappal and no advocate will appear in the court for the accused. Advocate from outside will not be allowed to fight the case. We will fight for the child.”

Four persons have been arrested, two of them on Saturday, so far in the murder of the child in Aligarh.

The decomposed body of the two-and-a-half-year-old was found in a garbage dump three days after she was reported missing by her family in Tappal township, police said.

The accused Zahid and Aslam have confessed to killing the girl over repayment of loan worth Rs 5,000, police said in a statement

According to initial reports, the duo are believed to have killed the girl, while Mehndi and his wife helped the duo.

“Initial investigation showed the body was hidden in the stubble, but forensic examination shows the body was hidden at a cool place as the body had blackened. The body could have been kept inside a refrigerator,” a source said.

The policemen, including a station house officer, were suspended for the alleged delay in registering the case after the girl was reported missing on May 30, and also for delaying the probe which eventually led to the discovery of her body on June 2, officials said.

The post-mortem examination confirmed death due to strangulation. It has not found any sign of sexual assault but this cannot be ruled out at this stage.