16-yr-old encounter victim was Naxal,had ‘habitual sexual contact’: C’garh

However,villagers claimed that the line about “habitual sexual contact” was added in the post mortem report in a bid to protect the police. The post mortem,conducted by Dr R S Markam,recorded that sperm was found on her body and suggested the possibility of sexual intercourse with more than one person.

Stating that she had suffered two bullet wounds — in the chest and lower abdomen,the post-mortem report mentioned “rupture of the urinary bladder” and “blood clots” in the “torn upper part of the uterus”.

The incident dates back to July 6,when the police exchanged fire with Naxals in Nawadih at around 3 am. Suggesting that Khalkho had Naxal links,Balrampur SP Jitendra Meena said: “After the encounter,she was found wounded at the spot. She also named a few Naxals. The police took her to a primary health centre and later to a hospital,but she succumbed to her injuries.”

A resident of Karcha village,Khalkho had left home on the evening of July 5 to visit her friend Kirti,but failed to return home. The next morning,her parents came to know that she had been wounded in police firing. By the time her father,Buddeshwar Khalkho,reached the hospital,she had died. The police handed over the body to her family and gave Rs 10,000 for her funeral.

Khalkho’s bicycle,on which she had left home,could not be found. Her parents came to know that she had not met her friend. In his complaint,Buddeshwar said that when the girl left home she was wearing a skirt and blouse,but when the police brought her for treatment to Balrampur,she was in a sari.

Villagers approached the administration and denied that Khalkho was a Naxal. “I don’t know about other charges,but I can definitely say that she had no Naxal links,” said Karcha sarpanch Janardan Ram.

But,noting that her home was a couple of kilometres from the encounter spot,Home Minister Kanwar said: “Why was she away from her home at around 2:15 am? Police suspect she was a Naxal and was killed in the encounter. But since villagers are saying that she did not have Naxal links,we have ordered an inquiry.”

Claiming that it was not a fake encounter,Kanwar said: “The police diary said that following a tip-off about the presence of Naxals in the area,they left the thana at around 10 pm on July 5.”

The Raman Singh government had earlier ordered a magisterial probe and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh,which the family is yet to receive.

Meanwhile,Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ravindra Chaubey demanded registration of an FIR against the policemen. “Today the Home Minister said she was a Naxal. But if that is so,why did the government announce Rs 2 lakh compensation? The medical report says she was raped and murdered. She was shot at close range between her legs,” said Chaubey.

“We have sent her vaginal swabs to the Forensic Science Laboratory and are awaiting the results,” said the SP.