CID to probe girl's death at BJP chief's house

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday ordered an inquiry by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) into the death of a seven-year-old girl, whose body was found in a car that found at the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari on May 21, 2009.

"Prima facie, we are not satisfied by the investigations carried out by the police. Therefore, we hand over the investigation to the CID," the court said.

It was initially reported that the car in which the girl's body was found belonged to Gadkari. However, the Kotwali police in Nagpur, which investigated the case, said that the car was not owned by the BJP president, but by his former personal assistant.

The girl's family, meanwhile, has not bought the argument and has alleged that the girl's murder was being

covered due to political pressure. They also alleged that the cover up could be at the behest of Gadkari and other politicians.

While the cops claimed that the girl died due to lack of oxygen in the car, the parents of the girl demanded a CBI probe claiming that the post mortem report had shown that the girl had sustained injuries and that someone had 'smothered' her.

Gadkari was not present at the time of the incident.

The girl's parents claimed that the official police version has many holes.

According to the police version, seven-year-old Yogita Thackeray's body was found in the car when it was opened by policemen deployed outside Gadkari's residence in Mahal in Nagpur. The girl, who was the daughter of a maidservant employed in a neighbouring household, entered the car and then suffocated to death.