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CID rules out sexual assault in Chitra case

The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch, Criminal Investigation Department, which probed the recent suicide of 21-year-old housewife Chitra, has concluded that there was no physical evidence to suggest she had been tortured or sexually assaulted during interrogation at a police station in Madras.

The CB-CID's report was submitted to Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi yesterday.

In its report, the Crime Branch has stated that the post-mortem report by a team of two doctors was clear that her death was due to suicide, and the allegation of her husband Ravi that she had been sexually assaulted was not credible.

It quoted forensic experts as saying that the 'suicide note' was not written in Chitra's hand.

The note had been prepared and circulated by some "miscreants" for political reasons, it said.

The Crime Branch is investigating who wrote the letter.

Narrating the sequence of events leading to the suicide, the report said Chitra had taken exception to Ravi's involvement in the theft of Rs 250,000 lakh at the hardware shop where he was employed.

Ravi was interrogated following the seizure of Rs 138,000 from another employee, Arun.

The report, however, admitted that Chitra's interrogation at the Aminjikarai police station on the night of October 12 violated the state director-general of police's order not to detain women and children in police stations at night, in keeping with a directive of the Supreme Court of India.

UNI

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