Even as the locals were slowly trying to believe that only one person (as per CBI investigations) was involved in Kotkhai rape and murder case, the recent testimony of forensic experts has renewed their fears of botched investigations in Gudiya case.

The experts, Dr HV Acharya and Hemangi Shah, both assistant directors in forensic science labs based in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat had told a CBI court at Chandigarh that as per their observation, the crime was committed by more than one person.

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Acharya and Shah had further told the court that the arrest and torture of six persons, one of whom, Suraj was killed in police custody, to confess to the crime implies a definite attempt to shield someone.

Dr Acharya had conducted narco and BOESP tests on five accused, Ashish Chauhan, Rajinder Singh, Lokjan, Deepak and Subhash Singh arrested by HP Police while Shah had conducted polygraph test on the accused.

The testimony has now locals and social activists up in arms against the CBI and they are now planning to hold protests against the investigating agency.

“Gudiya Nyay Manch would organize protest against CBI outside their office in Shimla in coming days. The Manch would demand fresh probe in Gudiya case under the supervision of sitting judge,” Vikas Thapta, a Shimla based social activist who is fighting for justice for Gudiya told The Statesman.

Thapta said the father of 16-year-old victim, too had raised questions on CBI theory and had said that Anil alias Nilu (a woodcutter with criminal background and arrested for the crime) couldn’t have single-handedly committed the crime.

It was impossible to believe that the heinous crime was committed by Nilu alone and there were many unanswered questions that needs fresh probe, the victim’s father had alleged in July last year.

He said the Manch would soon write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek fresh probe so that justice could be ensured to the victim and her family.

“In fact, all these allegations were the part of a book ‘Gudiya-Unsuni Cheekh’ (Unheard shrieks) that was released on 6 July 2018.

We still can’t believe that Nilu could have fooled police and CBI for so long after committing such a heinous crime,” Deepak Sundriyal, another social activist said.

Whether it was an outsider or a local influential person but the ghastly crime couldn’t have been committed by him. There might and will be more persons who were involved in the heinous crime, he added.

It is worthwhile to mention here that a-16-year-old girl who was a student of Class 10 had gone missing while returning from school on 4 July 2017 in Kotkhai area of Shimla district.

Her body was found in the woods on 6 July with multiple injuries on her body and her autopsy indicated that she was gang-raped and strangulated to death.

This had led to public outrage after which the state government had constituted a SIT which had arrested six persons, Ashish Chauhan, Rajender Singh alias Raju, Deepak, Subhash Singh Bisht, Suraj and Lokjan on 12 and 13 July.

The cops had allegedly tortured the accused, excluding Ashish Chauhan to confess that they were involved in gangrape and murder which resulted in the death of Suraj on the intervening night of 18-19 July.

The case was then transferred to CBI by HP High Court and the investigating agency had arrested eight members of Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the custodial death of Suraj. While Nilu was arrested on 15 April 2018 and CBI had claimed that he had raped and murdered the minor girl.