There is no “Witness Protection Program” in India, and the legal process takes a long time. The prolonged court cases are a problem by themselves.
It is shocking how the cases of rape and murder are common among the professions of lorry driver and butchers.
Accused out on bail, kills prime witness in rape case
22 Jan 2009
HOWRAH: The prime witness in a rape case was murdered in Howrah on Tuesday night, allegedly by the accused against whom he had been deposing at successive court hearings.
Akim Quereshi (35), accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in June 2006, was out on bail while the trial was on. Jainul Abedin Khan (42) was the key witness. He had apparently seen Akim drop the girl near her house on Howrah’s Jholapara Masjid Lane that night after raping her at Dumurjola, where he had taken her.
Jainul, a former Burn Standard employee, had raised an alarm. He and other locals caught Akim and handed him over to the police. After a long stint in jail custody, Akim had recently secured bail after the trial commenced. Several hearings had been held and Jainul had deposed against Akim. The next hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
Jainul was playing cards in a local club on Tuesday night when Akim, a butcher by profession, allegedly entered and attacked him from behind. He first gagged Jainul and slit his throat with his butcher’s knife. Jainul’s fellow card players fled through another door.
Locals went on the rampage and set ablaze two bikes. Howrah’s SP N K Singh had to rush to the spot with a large force to control the situation. Howrah police have started a murder case against Akim and raids are on to nab him.
