Kejriwal orders probe into alleged rape & murder of minor girl

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday met family members of 9-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered by four people at a crematorium near Delhi Cantonment in south-west Delhi on Sunday and ordered a magisterial probe into the matter.

Kejriwal also announced financial help of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the minor girl.

"Met the girl's family, shared their pain, will give financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh. There will be a magisterial inquiry into the matter. Top lawyers will be engaged to get the culprits punished. The Central government should take strict steps to improve law and order in Delhi, we will cooperate fully," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi after visiting the girl's family.

Before this, Kejriwal expressed grief on the incident saying, "the murder of a 9-year-old innocent in Delhi after her rape is shameful. There is a need to improve law and order in Delhi."

There have been continuous protests since Sunday over the incident and many politicians have been visiting the protest site or expressing their condolences on social media.

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also met the family members of the innocent child and demanded justice for them.

On Tuesday, Gandhi tagged a Hindi news clip reporting the incident and tweeted, "Dalit ki beti bhi desh ki beti hai."

AAP's MLA and Deputy Speaker of Delhi Assembly Rakhi Birla and Women and Child Development Minister of Delhi Rajendra Pal Gautam had also visited the victim's family.

Delhi police had said on Tuesday that a board of three doctors will conduct an autopsy of the charred remains of the girl.

Four persons arrested in the case, including a priest of the crematorium, were booked under sections pertaining to rape, murder and threatening charges, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST Act.

Though the accused have maintained that the girl died of electrocution while fetching water from an electric cooler, the family has alleged that the suspects hurriedly cremated the body after frightening the family of from informing the police about her death.

Demanding death penalty for the four men and speedy justice through a fast-track court, the parents of the girl and nearly 200 people, including local residents, politicians and social activists, are protesting on Pankha road, close to the crematorium.

Those arrested have been identified as Radhey Shyam, 55, Salim, 55, Laxmi Narayan, 49, and Kuldeep, 63.