Mobile phone used to videograph Thanjai girl’s statement handed over to police

The video of the deceased minor girl from Ariyalur studying in an aided school in Thanjavur who committed suicide after consuming pesticide, in which she stated that she was reportedly forced to convert into Christianity, went viral on the social media. Her parents approached the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on January 22 to transfer the case to CB-CID. Later, a statement from them was recorded by the Thanjavur Judicial Magistrate Bharathi on January 23 as per the HC direction and the sealed statement was submitted in the High Court.

Subsequently, Justice GR Swaminathan who heard the case asked P Muthuvel who recorded the girl’s statement to appear before Vallam DSP Brinda, the investigating officer and hand over the mobile phone to the police.

As per the direction, on Tuesday, Muthuvel who is also the Ariyalur District Vishwa Hindu Parishad secretary appeared before the DSP and handed over the mobile phone which he used for recording the statement of the deceased girl. The DSP conducted an inquiry with Muthuvel for around half an hour.

BJP Advocates Wing state vice president Rajeswaran and other pro-Hindu outfit members accompanied Muthuvel and waited outside the DSP camp office.

Speaking to reporters after handing over the mobile phone, Muthuvel said, the girl’s parents were family friends and so he had gone to visit the girl in the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital on January 17. “Since the parents requested me to record her statement, I did,” Muthuvel said and added that the particular mobile phone was handed over to the DSP as per the court direction.