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This is an archive article published on July 31, 2023

Five-year-old Bihar girl’s rape-murder shakes Kerala; hundreds attend funeral

Hundreds of people turned up at a primary school near Aluva, where her body was placed for public homage, and at the burial ground.

Five-year-old Bihar girl’s rape-murder shakes Kerala; hundreds attend funeralThe funeral of the five-year-old girl killed in Aluva, on Sunday. (Express Photo)
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Five-year-old Bihar girl’s rape-murder shakes Kerala; hundreds attend funeral
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Kerala on Sunday bode a tearful adieu to the five-year-old Bihar girl, who was allegedly raped and strangled to death by a migrant worker, also from Bihar, on Friday after she was abducted from her house near Aluva in Ernakulam district.

Hundreds of people turned up at a primary school near Aluva, where her body was placed for public homage, and at the burial ground.

The alleged accused, Asfak Alam, 28, was arrested by police on Friday night itself, but he confessed to the crime only on Saturday, leading to recovery of the girl’s body in a heap of marshy garbage at a deserted land near a market in Aluva.

As the postmortem report confirmed that the girl was sexually assaulted in a brutal manner, police slapped relevant sections of POCSO Act, apart from murder, against the accused. On Sunday, he was produced before a magistrate court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.

Meanwhile, Opposition Congress and BJP targeted the home department handled by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Congress state president K Sudhakaran said Vijayan has converted Kerala into a “roaming ground of criminals”. The girl has become a martyr of the inefficiency of the home department, Sudhakaran alleged.

BJP state president K Surendran said the incident has proved that Vijayan’s home department is an “utter failure”.

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More

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