Goa: Goa Tourism Minister Mickey Pacheco has demanded dismissal of police officers who carelessly handled the case of the 15-year-old British girl who was found dead under suspicious circumstances on the Goa beach.
“Such negligence by police department spoils Goa's image,” he said this in the letter to Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik.
The Goa Police had earlier said it has no reason to hush up the case of the dead 15-year-old British teenager, which has caught international attention after her family members alleged foul play.
"From day one our investigation is aimed at finding out whether the death is homicidal or accidental. We have no reasons to hush up the case," North Goa Superintendent of Police Bosco George had told PTI this evening.
Scarlett Keeling's second autopsy report is identical to the first and it repeats that she died of drowning. However, it doesn't establish the circumstances surrounding her death
Scarlette’s parents believe the death was not due to drowning as the police claim. They say the injury and other bruises on her body point to a cover up.
Fiona McKeown, Scarlette's mother, has questioned the first post-mortem report that said the teenager had accidentally drowned.
“We think she had her face pushed into the sand because of the amount of the sand that was inside her nose and mouth. But the injuries all over her legs, arms and back are not fatal injuries. Somebody's done that to her before they killed her,” Fiona says.
"She was battered before she was murdered, there were a lot of bruises on her. There had been an order that morning at 9:30 for the body to be removed after we'd gone down to the police station and asked to see the body again," she says.
She adds, "I had asked them not to remove the body until I saw it agian, But they were still trying to remove it. They're definitely trying to cover up."
The counsel for the Keeling family says they've evidence pointing to foul play in Scarlette's death.
“They have changed the investigating officer and there's a new supervising officer who is above him. I am optimistic that they will carry out a proper investigation now. We will follow the logical process till justice is served,” says the counsel for the parents of the victim, Vikram Verma.
McKeown says she is sure her daughter was murdered.
“I saw her body for the third time today and there are more than 50 bruises on her body. I don’t know who killed her. But she was killed,” Fiona adds.
The photographs, which were taken by McKeown shortly after she saw the body on February 18, clearly show a number of bruises and cuts on Scarlette's body. Even the first autopsy had mentioned the presence of injury marks, but the Goa police did not take the investigation forward.
“Why are police lying to the mother of the girl? Why is police lying to the media? Why are police hiding information? Should we trust the men in uniform or we should get terrorised because of them?” McKeown’s advocate Vikram Varma asks.
Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat has said he will personally monitor the investigation. The results of the second post mortem are expected on Saturday.
With Agency inputs
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