Kathua rape case: Senior superintendent of police Suleman Choudhary transferred, replaced by Shridhar Patil

Kathua senior superintendent of police Suleman Choudhary has been transferred following the outrage sparked over the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl, according to several media reports. Choudhary has been replaced by Shridhar Patil. The move comes after the police chargesheet , which revealed details of the horrific crime, accused some district police officers of being embroiled in the case and even accepting bribes to destroy crucial evidence. Head constable Tilak Raj, allegedly under instructions from sub-inspector Anand Dutta, rinsed the girl’s purple frock in Hiranakashyap police station until the garment was “dry cleaned”. According to the chargesheet , Sanji Ram, the mastermind, took his friend and Special Police Officer Deepak Khajuria (Deepu) into confidence before committing the crime. Khajuria is also charged with luring the juvenile offender to kidnap the girl on the assurance that he would help him in passing the board exams (through cheating). Another Special Police Officer Surinder Kumar is also named in the FIR for colluding in the crime. An eight-year-old child from the nomadic Bakarwal community was held captive in a small village temple for a week in January. She was kept sedated and sexually assaulted before being bludgeoned to death. Eight persons, including a juvenile, were arrested in the case. The trial in the case began on Monday.