Kotkhai rape and murder case: Himachal Pradesh govt sends report to Governor ​

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday submitted its report to Governor Acharya Devvrat in connection with the Kotkhai schoolgirl rape and murder case.

In the two-page report, Chief Secretary VC Pharka gave the sequence of events, investigation done by the police, constitution of the SIT and the government's decision to refer the case to the CBI.

It also referred to the effort made by the government to move the high court seeking directions to the CBI to take up the case.

The Governor had sought a report from the government regarding the case and custodial death of an accused and said that he was getting representations from various organisations seeking justice for the girl, said advisor to the Governor Shashi Kant Sharma.

"The Governor has asked the state government to take effective steps to restore the trust of the people who are agitated over the episode," he said.

Meanwhile, the four accused in the case were produced in a local court and remanded to judicial custody till July 27.

The police have provided protection to the wife of Suraj who was killed in police lock-up following her reported statement that he was "innocent and was being framed" in the case.

SP Shimla Soumya, who took charge yesterday, paid a visit to Kotkhai today and sought report about the incident from the police.

She said the statement of Suraj's wife was being recorded and eight constables have been deployed for providing security to her.

A FIR has been registered in connection with the alleged ransacking and damage to a police station and torching of police vehicles by a mob, she said, adding that further investigation was in progress.

A Class 10 student was allegedly raped and murdered in Kotkhai area of Shimla district on July 4 after she took a lift on a vehicle driven by one of the accused Rajender.

The body of the victim was recovered from the nearby Halila forest two days later. Six persons were arrested in connection with the case.