The preliminary postmortem report of the 20-year-old woman, who was hit and dragged by a car, indicated “no injury suggestive of sexual assault”, according to Delhi Police which on Tuesday also recorded the statement of her female companion who was riding pillion on scooter with the victim and had fled the accident spot “out of fear”.
The eyewitness’ account will be important evidence in getting the accused punished and more CCTV footage has been recovered that could help establish the sequence of events on Sunday night, the police said.
While public outrage simmered over the incident and the alleged apathy shown by the police initially, there was heavy police deployment outside the victim’s residence.
Doctors of the MAMC board who carried out the autopsy opined that the provisional cause of death was “shock and haemorrhage as a result of antemortem injury to the head, spine, left femur and lower limbs”.
“All injuries collectively can cause death in the ordinary course of nature. However, injury to the head, spine, long bone and other injuries can cause death independently and collectively in the ordinary course of nature,” the doctors opined.
“All injuries produced by blunt force impact and possible with vehicular accident and dragging,” the preliminary report said.
The doctors said they would be able to offer a final opinion after the receipt of chemical analysis and biological sample reports.
“Also, the report indicates that there is no injury suggestive of sexual assault. The final report will be received in due course,” said Sagar Preet Hooda, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order).
Sources said that there were no injury marks on her private parts.
The body was handed over to her family on Tuesday for cremation.
Read more: Woman dragged under car was alone, escaped friend called for testimony: Police
Woman’s body dragged by car: Medical board to conduct autopsy; protests erupt in outer Delhi
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the victim’s family and assured that the government will appoint the best lawyer to fight the case.
The chief minister said that he spoke to her ailing mother and that his government will take care of her treatment.
Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party sought the dismissal of the DCP of the Outer District for allegedly shielding the accused.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) demanded the constitution of a high-level committee to chalk out a coordinated strategy to tackle crimes against women in the national capital.
During a press conference, Hooda said that they have found a woman who was accompanying the victim at the time of the incident.
Since she was scared after the accident, she left the victim and fled from the spot, he said.
Police said the victim’s friend did not speak about the accident with anyone else.
“So, now we have an eyewitness to the incident and she is cooperating with the police. We are getting her statement recorded under section 164 CrPC. This is a significant development in the incident.
“This will be important evidence for us to get the accused punished,” he said.
“Investigation is still underway. It is at the primary stage and multiple angles are being probed. We are hopeful of completing the investigation soon and we will ensure that the accused get the strictest punishment,” Hooda said.
A delegation of AAP MLAs met Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Tuesday and demanded the strictest punishment for those involved in the incident.
The AAP delegation, led by MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi, submitted a memorandum to Arora in which they demanded the dismissal of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer District) Harendra K Singh for allegedly shielding the accused.
They also demanded the sacking of the police officers deployed on the route along which the woman was dragged.
“The accused have political links. The police should not buckle under political pressure. This should be treated as a rarest of rare case and the accused be given strictest punishment,” read the memorandum.
The inquiry committee constituted by the police to look into lapses and measures to be taken by police inspected the 12-km-long stretch from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala on which the woman was dragged.
A senior police officer said that as part of the inquiry, Singh with her team on Monday night visited the crime scene and inspected the stretch of road in outer Delhi, where the woman was dragged by a car after she got stuck under it.
According to sources, the team’s primary responsibility is to do an analysis of the stretch and suggest improvements to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
It will also examine if all Standard Operating Procedures were followed by the police and whether they responded in time to the incident, and on the basis of the outcome, assign responsibility.
