India to Exhume Bodies of Raped Teens for Autopsy

Murder of young cousins continues to reverberate
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 9, 2014 7:33 PM CDT
India to Exhume Bodies of Raped Teens for Autopsy
Activists in New Delhi hold candles during a vigil to protest against the gang rape of two teenage girls in this May 31 photo.   (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

The pressure on India to make progress in the investigation of the gang-rape and hanging of two teenage cousins seems to be working. Police say they will exhume the bodies of the girls, ages 14 and 15, to conduct a more thorough autopsy, reports the BBC. It's a sea change from the initial reaction, when the father of one of the lower-caste girls said police ridiculed him when he sought help trying to find them in late May. The federal Central Bureau of Investigation is now handling the investigation.

A 20-year-old brother of one of the victims has been staging a protest in New Delhi over the last few days to demand a better investigation, and he doesn't sound as if he's about to let up because of the fresh autopsy, reports Sky News. "Why wasn't it done right the first time?" he asked. Five men have been arrested in connection with the deaths. (More India stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X