Accused pleads innocent in court

ACCUSED ANIL KUMAR WAS ARRESTED BY CBI ON APRIL 13; CBI CLAIMS TO HAVE CONCRETE EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM

SHIMLA: The main accused in the Kotkhai rape and murder case who was produced in the court of district and sessions judge Virender Singh on Friday pleaded not guilty.

Accused, Anil Kumar, who hails from Chhota Bhangal area of Baijnath sub-division in Kangra district, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on April 13

Sources said that the accused alleged that he was being framed and that he will continue to fight injustice meted out to him.

After the 10-month long investigation, the probe agency has named Kumar, a woodcutter, as the lone accused in the rape and murder of the 16-year-old school girl. It has claimed to have concrete scientific and forensic evidence against him.

Evidence in the case will begin on next date of hearing on June 23. The CBI has listed and recorded statements of 62 witnesses in the case so far.

The case pertains to the rape and murder of a Class-10 girl whose body was recovered from Halaila forest in Kotkhai on July 6, two days after she was reported missing. A special investigation team (SIT), headed by the then inspector general (IG) southern range S Zahur Zaidi, was setup to probe the case.

On July 12, the SIT had arrested six people and had claimed to have solved the case.This led to a violent protest by locals saying the real culprits have not been arrested forcing the state government to order a CBI probe.

However, before the CBI could start the investigation, an accused Suraj (a Nepalese) died in the police custody, triggering more violent protests. On August 29, CBI arrested IG Zaidi and seven other cops in the custodial death case and in the same case then Shimla SP DW Negi was arrested on September 16.