Bhandara rape case a state affair, no CBI probe: Centre

The government on Friday turned down the opposition's demand in Rajya Sabha for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the rape and murder of three minor girls in Maharashtra's Bhandara district, saying the Centre does not intervene in state affairs.

"This is a very serious issue and concerns the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra government," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said, adding that the Centre did not intervene in state matters "be it a Congress government or an opposition-ruled government."

Shinde was making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, where members, outraged over the incident, demanded that the Centre should ask for a CBI probe into the ghastly act.

He said teams have been formed to pursue different lines of investigation, which is going on, and the Maharashtra police was carrying out the probe to track the offenders.

"I am deeply shocked at the despicable, ghastly and brutal manner in which three minor girls from the same family were brutally raped and murdered and thrown into an abandoned well near Murwadi village, Lakhani police station, Bhandara district of Maharashtra," Shinde said.

As members accused the Maharashtra government of inaction, Shinde said in-charge of the police station Prakash Mude was suspended on February 19 as he "did not deal with the complainant promptly and professionally."

Shinde said, "Collective conscience of all members of the House would be equally revolted to know about the horrendous incident."

He said the Centre would convey the sentiments of the members to the state, including the anguish over the problems caused to the complainant.

Shinde said the police have already registered an FIR, adding that after an inquest by the taluka magistrate, a postmortem was conducted by a team of five doctors.

"It appears that all three deceased girls were subjected to sexual abuse and murdered before being thrown into the well," he said.