The father and grandfather of a six-year-old rape-murder victim in Kerala’s Idukki district were attacked with a sharp object on Saturday allegedly by one of the relatives of the man acquitted in the case.
"The incident occurred around 11.30 AM. It seems like a close relative of Arjun had used a sharp object to attack the father and grandfather of the deceased child," a police officer said.
The injured have been admitted to Vandiperiyar government hospital.
As per local media reports, the incident took place at Pashumalamoodu junction when the duo was returning home after attending a funeral.
They said the attacker has been identified as Shanmughan, brother of Arjun’s father, though he is yet to be arrested.
Arjun, 24, who was the lone accused in the case, had been acquitted in December by a local court which claimed “the prosecution failed to prove the case”.
The Special Fast Track Court in Kattappana also observed that the police did not have sufficient evidence to incriminate the accused, Arjun in the case.
The latest incident came two days after the Kerala High Court on January 4 admitted the state government's appeal against the acquittal in the case.
The six-year-old girl was found hanging inside her house on June 30, 2021 when her parents went out for work in a nearby plantation.
Police had initially registered a case of unnatural death but the autopsy report confirmed that the child was raped before she was hanged.