Vijayawada, Feb 28 (IANS) Authorities on Friday handed over the mortal remains of Ayesha Meera, a 17-year-old student raped and murdered in 2007, to her parents.

The remains, which were exhumed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2019 for re-postmortem, were received by Shamshad Begum and Iqbal Basha at a court in Vijayawada.

Last week, the court had directed that Ayesha Meera’s remains be handed over to her family for performing the last rites.

The mortal remains will be buried in Tenali town later in the day.

Several women activists from people’s organisations and the committee for justice accompanied Shamshad Begum and her husband to show their solidarity. They were carrying placards seeking justice for Ayesha.

After collecting the remains, they tried to take out a rally. However, police told them that there is no permission for the rally.

Shamshad Begum told the media that even after their battle for 19 years, they have not got justice. She said she would pray to God to give the harshest punishment to those who killed their innocent daughter.

She alleged that all the evidence in the case was tampered with and vowed to continue their fight till the perpetrators are brought to book. They plan to meet Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The sensational rape and murder case could not be solved by the police or later by the CBI.

The court last week accepted the report submitted by the CBI in June last year, declaring the probe closed. The Central agency submitted that no legally admissible evidence was found to proceed against any individual.

The court observed that there was no material warranting further investigation. The court also recorded that the victim’s parents expressed dissatisfaction with the CBI’s final report conveyed their inability to bear further legal expenses.

Ayesha, a B Pharmacy student, was found murdered in the bathroom in a private ladies’ hostel at Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada on the morning of December 27, 2007. The body was found in a pool of blood with legs and hands tied to a water tap and the iron rod, with her own dress.

Police had rounded up several suspects, including hostel employees. Nine months later, a youth named Satyam Babu was arrested.

The women’s sessions court, which held a hearing in the case, declared him the culprit and sentenced him to life in 2010. However, in 2017, the High Court acquitted him, citing a lack of evidence.

Following PILs and a petition by her parents, the High Court ordered a CBI investigation in 2018.

The CBI exhumed the body in 2019 for the re-postmortem.

–IANS

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