'Cops couldn't save my girl, now they won't let me protest'

When a 7yearold girl was found raped and murdered just 50 metres from her house last month the Malwani police had promised her distraught mother that they would catch the culprit within a week Three weeks later not only have they failed to catch the man responsible but they wonrsquot even let the family take out a candlelight march for their little girl labelling it an ldquounlawful assemblyrdquoThe victimrsquos family and neighbours started the candlelight vigil from Malwani Church but were stopped before they could reach the police stationEven though the local residents had merely planned a peaceful candlelight vigil they were slapped with a notice under Section 149 unlawful assembly of the IPC and warned of consequences Whatrsquos more when the protestors still decided to continue with the march they were halted midway before they could reach the police station to express their frustrationMore than 500 Malwani residents joined the victimrsquos family and the NGO Ashmita Mahila Sangh in the candlelight march to demand justice for the little girlmidday had reported about the plight of the family after the 7yearold went missing from her grandparentsrsquo home in Patelwadi on the evening of May 23 The family alleged that even at the time of filing a complaint the Malwani police had not taken it seriously and did not even send cops to search for the child until 1030 pm The girlrsquos body was found at 1240 am dumped under a mattress behind some bushes barely 50 metres from her houseldquoIf the police had acted promptly that night my daughter would have been alive today They are now taking away my right to protest for justice also Is justice only for affluent peoplerdquo said the victimrsquos motherMore than 500 local residents joined the family and the NGO on Thursday evening as they marched from Malwani Church towards the police station only to be cut short by the police without any warning ldquoWe made an application for the rally a day in advance giving the police ample time to make the necessary arrangements However on the day of the rally the police issued a notice saying that in case of any untoward incident we will be held accountable Despite this we agreed to carry on with the march However the cops stopped us midway without any reasonrdquo said Sneha Pawar of Ashmita Mahila Sangh which fights for the rights of womenldquoIt was a 15kilometre march We had just half a kilometre left before we would have finished outside the police station when the cops turned up at Malwani gate no 8 and asked us to stop immediatelyrdquo said the victimrsquos motherLeft with no choice the rally was stopped at Gate no 8 where the residents paid tribute to the victim and dispersed ldquoThe police do not act against political rallies so promptly This was only a peace march seeking justice The stopped us midway asking us not to go towards the police station just because we were protesting against the incompetence of the police We have every right to seek justicerdquo said the victimrsquos grandfatherNeither the family nor the other residents have any confidence in the local police particularly after this episode The girlrsquos mother told midday ldquoIt seems like they have forgotten about my daughterrsquos death Senior Inspector Milind Khetle had assured us that he would arrest the culprit within a week but after three weeks they donrsquot even know who killed my daughter We have now started asking people in our locality to give us some clues We have no trust left in the local police They should hand this case over to some other agency like the Crime Branch or the CBIrdquoDespite several attempts to contact Mumbai Police no one was available for comment