Two more held in Aligarh murder case, Lawyers refuse to fight case for accused men
Aligarh (UP), Jun 8: Police on Saturday arrested two more people for the murder of a toddler here and confirmed that one of the men held earlier for the crime is an alleged sex offender who targeted children in recent years.
Shagufta (32) and Mehndi Hasan, the wife and the brother of Zahid who was arrested Tuesday, were picked up this morning by the special investigation team formed to probe the killing of the two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Tappal township.
"They were later arrested," a senior police official said.
With this, the total number of arrests has gone up to four in the case.
Other than 27-year-old Zahid, police had arrested Aslam, 43, on Tuesday after the girl's decomposed body was found in a garbage dump around 200 metres from her home. The body was discovered on June 2, three days after she was reported missing. The girl's father had alleged she was killed because he failed to repay Rs 10,000 taken as loan from the accused.
Aslam was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) in 2014 and 2017, police said. He also faced charges under Uttar Pradesh's Goonda Act.
The second POCSO case, in Delhi's Gokulpuri, also involved abduction of a minor.
Two separate cases of POCSO are pending against him and he had gone to jail in connection with an abduction case in Delhi, Aligarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Akash Kulhari said.
Meanwhile, Aligarh Bar Association announced that no lawyer would appear in court on behalf of any of the accused charged with the toddler's murder.
"We have decided that no lawyer will appear in the court for accused," Bar Association secretary Anup Kaushik said.
Anoop Kaushik,General Secretary, Aligarh Bar Association: We stand with the family of 2.5-year-old girl who was murdered in Tappal & no advocate will appear in Court for the accused. Advocate from outside will not be allowed to fight the case. We will fight for the child. pic.twitter.com/cwuiaQvwbz
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 8, 2019
Kulhari said officials probing the Aligarh case are looking into the phone records of all suspects.
"The police are in the process of building a water-tight case against the accused so that it stands all legal scrutiny and speedy justice is delivered through a fast-track court. We are checking phone records of all suspects to trace the crime trail," he said.
Kulhari, who camped in the area till late Friday, warned of strong action against anyone trying to spread rumours through social media.
Tension had prevailed in the area after the victim's family alleged that police officials delayed the registration of their complaint and the investigation. Five policemen have been suspended for negligence and Kulhari Friday assured locals that justice would be done in the case.
The SSP reiterated that the postmortem examination by a panel of three doctors found "no evidence of sexual assault", but police were taking no chances and forensic experts were examining vaginal swabs for any further evidence.
The incident has triggered massive outrage. Political leaders and celebrities have also tweeted their anger and disgust over the crime.
Candlelight protests over the murder were held in Aligarh city. Teachers and students at Aligarh Muslim University have demanded "exemplary and prompt" punishment for the perpetrators.
At a special meeting of its executive, the AMU Teachers Association demanded that a fast-track court be immediately set up to try the case.
AMUTA secretary Nazmul Hasan said in a press release that the teachers stood by the victim's family.
Former president of AMU students union Faizul Hasan said the law should be amended so that convicts of such crime face "punishment as stringent as that in Saudi Arabia".
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Karnataka: GBA city corporation polls likely between June 14 and 24
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka State Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi on Friday said elections to the five city corporations under the GBA will be held anytime between June 14 and June 24.
He said the exact date for the polls will be announced after a week, asserting that the power to postpone the elections, as requested by GBA authorities, lies with the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission to conduct Bengaluru local body elections by June 30.
On Friday, the SEC held a consultation meeting with the GBA Chief Commissioner and commissioners of the five city corporations regarding the election schedule, as per the provisions of the GBA Act.
“During the meeting, I informed GBA officials that only the election date has to be fixed, as all other measures and formalities for conducting the polls have already been completed,” Sangreshi said.
“They requested the Commission to consider factors such as rains, exams, census work, SIR, and manpower shortages while fixing the date and sought additional time,” he added.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, “I told them this meeting was not for seeking time. Elections to the five corporations under the GBA must be held before June 30, as directed by the Supreme Court, and a compliance report must be submitted to the court. I do not have the power to postpone the elections as requested.”
The Supreme Court has already given a “final opportunity,” and both the SEC and the government must comply with its directions, the State Election Commissioner said.
He asked GBA officials to suggest suitable dates between June 14 and June 24.
“While stating that they are ready for elections, the officials highlighted operational challenges, including manpower shortages. However, I have informed them that the elections will have to be held between June 14 and June 24. After a week, I will announce the final date,” he said.
Reiterating that he does not have the power to postpone the elections, Sangreshi said the authority rests with the Supreme Court, and elections must be conducted as scheduled.
“We have consulted the GBA as per the rules. It is up to them to suggest a date within the given window. If they need more time, they must approach the court. Our responsibility is to fix the date and complete the polls before June 30,” he said.
The matter regarding manpower and other concerns raised by GBA officials is already before the Supreme Court, and the State Election Commission has also filed a petition in this regard. The case is yet to be heard.
“Since the matter has not come up for hearing, the earlier order remains binding. Therefore, preparations are underway,” he added.
The tenure of the previous elected body under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ended on September 10, 2020, and since then, a government-appointed administrator has been managing its day-to-day affairs.
Bengaluru was divided into five municipal corporations—Central, East, West, North, and South—under the Greater Bengaluru Authority in September 2025, replacing the BBMP.
Sangreshi had earlier said that elections to the five corporations would be conducted using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines.
This follows the Congress government’s decision last September to recommend the use of ballot papers in all future panchayat and urban local body elections, citing concerns over declining public confidence in EVMs.
The state government subsequently enacted the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2026, paving the way for the use of ballot papers in local body elections.
