Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Centre sets up a high level inquiry committee to probe why the police shockingly failed to act in the macabre and ghastly killing of the children of Nithari village. Is the police also failing to build a strong enough case for the prosecution?
Moninder Singh Pandher and Satish have been accused of a heinous crime. On the special show on Justice for Nithari on India 360, we ask whether civic activism will get justice for the Nithari children?
One of the features of this crime is that it exposes the social pathology of an affluent suburb set in an arena of poverty and unemployment. Does mutual suspicion divide them?
To discuss today’s issue the panel comprised of SSP, Noida, R K S Rathore, Media Coordinator, United Students, Aditya Raj Kaul and Principal, Lotus Valley School, Madhu Chandra. The show was hosted by Sagarika Ghose.
The question every citizen of India is asking is why the Police failed to register FIRs when the first case came to the police station. Also, there are theories that the accused in this case were psychopaths but where is the scientific evidence that will stand up in the court of law?
“As far as FIRs are concerned, the cases were registered,” said R K S Rathore.
When Sagarika Ghose asked why only 19 out of 35 victims were registered, Rathore said that all the cases had been registered and were there in the record. He added that he had been witness to the investigation and the hard work that the Police had done in these cases.
“We are conducting the investigations in a very cautious way since it is a gruesome crime and we are getting experts to investigate it as well so that the guilty are punished accordingly,” he added.
When the victims’ parents were taken inside the house of the accused on Monday, there were choppers and stained bedsheets seen. Why were they not seized and sealed when the accused were arrested on Friday?
“You have been given wrong information. There were no choppers or blood-stained bedsheets. Bloodstains were found on the ground of which samples had been taken,” said Rathore.
In a posh suburb in a poverty-stricken area, what are the initiatives that citizens need to take so that surroundings become harmonious to them?
“There are maniacs in all societies. But when such things come to someone’s notice, one should report it to authorities. At the right time people should bring it to the right people’s notice and they should take adequate action,” said Madhu Chandra.
Going back to the on-going investigation in the case, Sagarika Ghose asked Rathore what evidence indicated that the skeletons found in the backyard of the accused’s house were indeed the remains of the children of Nithari.
“We have examined it thoroughly along with the parents of the deceased. The parents were also taken to the killer and he confessed to the crime. He even remembers their clothes and shoes,” said Rathore.
But would the killer’s confession be enough to stand up in court?
“This is our course of investigation. We are proving it scientifically also and using technical methods. We are linking evidences too. We will ensure that the guilty are hanged,” added Rathore.
So what role can someone like Aditya Raj Kaul, media coordinator of United Students play in such a case?
“I have with me the press release of the Government of India. It clearly states that a high-level committee has been set up to probe the matter. But what was the state police doing all these months? Also the unprofessional way in which the bodies were dug out, the media should not have been allowed inside at that time. There should have been sealing. It’s shocking that citizens have to wake the system from slumber again and again,” said Aditya Raj Kaul.
Coming back to the lifestyle in Noida, it seemed that a certain anomaly had set in there.
“In small town one would know everything about each other's life. But now we don’t know what’s happening in our neighbour’s house. That’s why the next-door neighbour of the accused also did not realise anything. When a child from my school was kidnapped, that’s when I got to know that the media had approached the Nithari village and the Police there. I think something positive will definitely emerge out of this. The Police have woken up now,” said Madhu Chandra.
Talking about security, what measures is the Police now taking in making Noida more security-conscious?
"We have published booklets, which have been distributed to pupils, which have tips on security. We have given mobile numbers of station officers so they can talk to them directly. We are meeting them sector wise and solving their problems," said Rathore.
Should the rich and poor meet more often since they live so close?
“Indirectly they meet very often. Many women from the village come to work in these sectors. The pathetic part is that when they don’t find a solution they want to get compensation to reconcile,” said Madhu Chandra.
But what do citizens want from the case as of now?
“Though I appreciate the work of the SSP, I would demand a white paper on what happened in the killings plus an external agency, be it the CBI or the high-level committee should discuss the issue as well,” said Aditya Raj Kaul.
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