After 10 months of intense legal proceedings, the POCSO court in Bhilwara has delivered a major verdict in the sensational Bhatti case, where a minor girl was gang-raped and subsequently burned alive in a coal furnace. The court found two individuals, Kalu and Kanha Kalbeliya, guilty while acquitting seven others due to lack of sufficient evidence. These included the primary accused’s wife, sister, parents, and another individual.
The case, which came to light on August 2, 2023, in the Kotdi police station area of Shahpura district, Bhilwara, has been under the spotlight due to its horrific nature. The victim, a minor girl from Giridiya Panchayat, was reportedly gang-raped while tending to goats in a field and later thrown alive into a coal furnace. Her remains were discovered the next day in the furnace, and parts that did not burn were found disposed of in a river inside plastic bags.
The trial saw testimonies from 43 witnesses. Special Public Prosecutor Mahavir Kisanawat noted that a female witness, who was the mother-in-law of a main accused, turned hostile during the proceedings, leading to her being declared a traitor to the case. The prosecution presented 222 documents as evidence.
The local community was deeply shocked and angered by the crime, especially as the families of the accused were involved in concealing the victim’s body. The investigation was conducted by the then Deputy Superintendent of Police of Kotdi, Shyam Sundar Bishnoi, with oversight from ADG of Crime Dinesh M N and Ajmer Range IG Lata Manoj.
