Six persons were arrested of Thursday in the case of two Dalit minor sisters found hanging from a tree in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.
“Total six accused involved in crime in different ways, arrested. Accused identified as Chotu, Junaid, Sohail, Hafizul, Karimuddin and Arif,” said Sanjeev Suman, Superintendent of Police, Lakhimpur Kheri. According to the SP, the accused Junaid was nabbed in an encounter where he was shot in the leg.
The girls, aged 15 and 17, were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field about a kilometre from their home in Nighasan police station area on Wednesday. Police sources said the post-mortem report stated that the girls were raped while strangulation was confirmed as the cause of death.
According to preliminary investigation, the two sisters left their home on 14 September afternoon with two of the accused, Junaid and Sohail. “Junaid and Sohail have confessed to strangulating the girls after raping them,” Suman said.
The SP also said Junaid and Sohail were allegedly in a relationship with the two sisters.
“The girls were yesterday lured to farms and raped by Sohail and Junaid. After the girls wanted the accused to marry them, Sohail, Hafizul, and Junaid strangulated and killed them. They then called Karimuddin and Arif and hanged the girls to eliminate any proof,” he said.
As per Suman, all the accused persons other than Chotu hailed from Lalpur village in Lakhimpur Kheri.
Chotu, who was a neighbour of the girls, had introduced the two girls to these boys and he too has been arrested, the SP added. He further added that this was a preliminary probe and the post-mortem will start in about 2-3 hours.
“A panel of three doctors is conducting the post-mortem… the crime is against women and against a weaker section of society. We worked with speed and sensitivity. The accused
have been booked under section 302, 376 of Indian Penal Code and the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) act,” he added.
Local villagers and the girls’ family lodged a protest as they marched and blocked the road demanding justice for the victims.
The family of the deceased had accused three men of rape and murder and staged a demonstration at the Nighasan crossing, a few kilometres from the village. The SP, along with the police force, rushed to the protest site and assured villagers that strict action will be taken against the accused.
Lucknow range inspector general (IG) of police Laxmi Singh had said, “Dead bodies of two girls were found hanging from a tree in a field outside a village in Lakhimpur Kheri. No injuries were found on the bodies.”
The gruesome incident has triggered angry reactions from Opposition parties that attacked the State’s BJP Government.
Congress has questioned the law and order in the state. Expressing her grief over the incident, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the state government and said, “The incident of murder of two sisters in Lakhimpur (UP) is heart-wrenching. The relatives say that those girls were abducted in broad daylight. Giving false advertisements in newspapers and TV every day does not improve law and order. After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in UP?”
In a tweet, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said, “Criminals in UP are fearless because the priorities of the government are wrong.”
“This incident exposes the claims of the government in the matter of law and order. The criminals are moving without any fear since there has been a cover-up in most of the criminal cases including the one in Hathras. The government should make necessary reforms in its policy, working and priorities,” she said.
On the other hand, the state’s two Deputy Chief Ministers — Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak — said the government was with the victims’ family and assured action against the accused.
In a tweet, Maurya said, “Strictest action will be taken against the criminals who had raped and murdered daughters in Lakhimpur Kheri. An issueless opposition should not do politics in such matters!. The punishment given to the accused will set an example.” Mr. Pathak tweeted, “The State Government stands with the family members of the victims. The government takes such an action that the future generations of these accused will shiver.”