Child’s rape, murder: Neighbours furious, rattled parents flee

Residents of old Bansmandi locality in Hasanganj were not only angry but also ashamed that one of their own was involved in the brutal rape and murder of the five year-old girl. They wanted the accused to be punished in front of them for his heinous act. The police officials had to intervene to bring the accused out of the locality safely.

Asif 19, who allegedly raped the girl after kidnapping her on Saturday evening, lives in old Bansmandi. Everybody in the locality was shocked after coming to know that the youth, who was known for his polite and generous behaviour, was involved in the crime.

“At least 50-60 families in the locality are distantly related to each other and everybody lives here in a friendly atmosphere. We are really shocked and ashamed that Asif belongs here,” said Mohd Faisal, a local resident. “Police took him away, otherwise we would have given him the correct treatment for his heinous act”, Faisal said.

“He is not a human being. Who could do this to an innocent child?” said Saima, another resident. The accused’s mother Farzana and father Irshad were so ashamed that they locked themselves inside their house after coming to know about their son’s crime. His family, including his parents and two siblings, disappeared later in the day after locking their house.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP), trans-Gomti, Habibul Hasan said people in the locality were so angry that the police team had to struggle a lot to bring the accused out of the locality. He said people would certainly have harmed the accused had the police not intervened. “We will also take up the matter very seriously in the court. The police are also thinking of initiating action for imposing National Security Act (NSA) against the accused. The investigation officer has been asked to submit the charge-sheet in court within a week and pursue the case properly to get him convicted”, he said.