50-year-old woman gang raped, murdered in Badaun

Yogi asks STF to assist in probe; SHO suspended, DM announces Rs 10 lakh for victim’s kin, says it’s a fit case for NSA; 2 arrested

LUCKNOW : A 50-year-old woman, employed as an anganwadi helper, was gang raped and brutally murdered allegedly by a priest and his two accomplices under the Ughaiti police station limits of Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night, the police said on Wednesday.

The two accomplices were arrested on Tuesday, while the priest was on the run, the police added. A station house officer was suspended for laxity in the case, Badaun senior superintendent of police Sankalp Sharma said.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday ordered the strictest possible action against the accused and directed the special task force (STF) to assist in the investigations, a state government spokesman said.

“The CM has directed ADG Bareilly zone to prepare a detailed report about the Badaun incident and directed STF to assist in the investigations,” the spokesman said.

“The post-mortem report confirms rape, and there are injuries in her private parts and a fracture in a leg,” Badaun SSP Sankalp Sharma said, according to PTI. She suffered a rib fracture too, he said, citing the postmortem report. The left lung was also damaged because of heavy force, the post-mortem report said. Chief medical officer, Badaun, Dr Yashpal Singh said the woman died of trauma and excessive bleeding.

The post-mortem report also said the private parts were severely damaged “due to insertion of a rod-like object.”

The news agency ANI quoted Dr Singh as saying, “As per the post-mortem report, the woman got injuries on her private parts and she also got fractures. There were tears and she had a fracture on one of her legs. There was excessive bleeding and the bleeding led to shock and that led to the patient’s death. Prima facie, it is rape as she got injuries on her private parts. Her viscera has been sent to the lab for testing.”

The SSP added that inspector Raghvendra Pratap Singh, the station house officer (SHO) of Ughaiti police station, was suspended for “delay in informing higher authorities, laxity in taking action, dereliction of duty and failure in taking speedy

action”.

“If any more police officials are found involved in dereliction of duties, action will be taken against them,” he said.

“Based on the complaints of the family members and the post-mortem report, a case has been registered under Sections 376D (gang rape) and 302 (punishment for murder) of IPC,” the SSP said.

The SSP added, “The FIR of gang rape and murder was lodged against Satyaveer alias Satyanarayan, the priest, and his two accomplices, Jai Pal alias Jaspal and Vedram Pal. Jai Pal and Vedram have been arrested. Four teams have been formed to arrest the absconding priest.”

The SSP, along with Badaun district magistrate Kumar Prashant, and other senior officials visited the village and met the family members of the victim. The DM announced an ex gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh for the family and assured them of all possible help.

The district magistrate said, “Whatever help can be given from the department, it will be given. She was an anganwadi sahayika (helper). We are also paying attention towards the security of the family.”

The district magistrate also said the National Security Act (NSA) would be invoked against the accused.

“We believe that this incident is a fit case of NSA and we will take action against the accused under the NSA. The case will be tried in fast track court,” he said, according to ANI.

Following the incident, Bareilly ADG Avinash Chandra too visited the crime spot and announced a reward of Rs 50,000 on the arrest of the absconding priest, according to a PTI report.

As per the complaint lodged with the police, the woman went to a temple located on the outskirts of her village on Sunday afternoon and did not return. Later, at night, the priest of the temple and his two aides brought her body to the house in a sports utility vehicle (SUV) and informed the family members that she fell into a dry well inside the temple premises.

“The priest and his accomplices left the house hurriedly. We were shocked to see the condition of the body. The clothes on the lower part of the body were drenched in blood and a leg appeared fractured,” said a close relative of the family.

Seeing the condition of the body, family members informed police. After repeated calls from the family, the police eventually sent the body for post-mortem on Monday afternoon, the relatives said.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has sought immediate intervention of the UP police in the matter. Commission has also said it will send its member to probe the incident.

NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh seeking immediate intervention in the matter, the commission said. A member of NCW will meet the victim’s family members and police officials, it said.