Hyd cops close case of Jain girl who died after fast

The Hyderabad police have closed the case of Aradhana Samdariya, almost five months after the 13-year old Jain girl died after 68 days of fasting that sparked national outrage, for lack of evidence.

“We have done thorough investigation. We have called for the report from the authorities of the hospital where Aradhana was brought dead. We also sought a second opinion from a team of doctors from the Government Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad on what could have led to her death. And we could not find any evidence to prove that her parents had forced her to do tapasya,” Hyderabad north zone deputy commissioner of police B Sumathi told HT.

Andhra Pradesh child rights committee however is fuming. “Instead of framing the charges against the parents under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC, the police conspired with the Jain community and closed the case ... We will continue the battle,” honorary president P Achyuta Rao said.