13-yr-old girl raped and murdered in Lakhimpur Kheri
LUCKNOW/ LAKHIMPUR KHERI: A 13-year-old Dali girl was raped and brutally murdered in a village under Isanagar police station limits of Lakhimpur Kheri district late on Friday. Police said the girl’s body was recovered from a sugarcane field close to the village and that two accused were arrested for the crime.
Some reports on social media had alleged that the girl’s eyes were gouged out and tongue was cut by the assailants but the police denied these claims.
Opposition parties on Sunday hit out the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over the crime, charging that atrocities on women and children in the state were on the rise.
Superintendent of police (SP), Lakhimpur Kheri, Satendra Kumar said there was no mention of mutilation of any body part of the girl in the post-mortem report as well as the ‘panchnama’ (a detail of the body condition to be filled in front of five people before sending it for the post-mortem).
He said the doctors have confirmed rape in the report on the basis of which sections of rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have been added in the FIR, which was earlier
filed under IPC section 302 for murder and a section of SC/ST Act (for atrocities against person belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe).
The process for slapping
National Security Act against the two accused -- Santosh Yadav and Sanjay Gautam -- has also been initiated, the SP added.
Sharing details of the crime, circle officer (CO), Dhaurahra area, Abhishek Pratap said the post mortem report established cause of death as strangulation after rape. He said a scarf, used to strangle the girl, was found near the spot.
“Initial investigation revealed that the assailants dragged the girl into the sugarcane field after finding her alone on Friday afternoon. The duo raped and strangled her to conceal the crime. We zeroed in on the duo on the basis of the statement of the girl’s family members and other witnesses,” he stated.
On Sunday afternoon, SP Satendra Kumar and district magistrate Shailendra Kumar Singh visited the village and inspected the crime spot.
› Initial investigation revealed that the assailants dragged the girl into the sugarcane field after finding her alone.The duo raped and strangled her to conceal the crime. ABHISHEK PRATAP , CO, Dhaurahra
OPPN SLAMS GOVT
The rape and murder of the teenage girl evoked a sharp response from political leaders. SP presi
dent Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, UP Congress president Lallu Singh, former Congress MP Jitin Prasada and several others condemned the incident. Yadav said in a tweet: “The rape and murder of a teenage girl in Lakhimpur Kheri is an incident which has shaken humanity. In the BJP rule, atrocities on children and women are at an all-time high.” “Why is the BJP government shielding those who are involved in rape, kidnapping, murder and other crime,” the former state chief minister asked. Prasada said: “The inhuman act with a girl has put humanity to shame. This is an extremely saddening incident. In this episode, the police must initiate such a strong action that it becomes a deterrent for criminals.” In a tweet in Hindi, Prasad asked, “What was the police doing that such a big incident took place. Action must be taken against the guilty persons. The safety of the family (of the girl) should be looked into”.
In a tweet, Mayawati demanded strict action against the guilty. “What is the difference between the SP government and the present BJP government... The BSP demands that the government should initiate strong action against the guilty in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and also in the Azamgarh incident.” A village head was recently killed in Azamgarh.