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Farrukhabad deaths: Families of deceased girls to file murder FIR, cops claim headway
“We are in touch with a lawyer who will draft our complaint. Once we receive the draft, we will submit it at Kaimganj police station,” fathers of the two deceased said on Thursday
KANPUR As politicians converged on Bhagautipur village in Farrukhabad to support the families of two Dalit girls, aged 15 and 18, whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in a mango orchard near their house, the fathers of the deceased on Thursday said they will file an FIR for murder, a day after demanding a probe by the CBI into the sensational case, rejecting the local police’s claim that the girls died by suicide.
“We are satisfied with the police’s handling of the case so far, but will register an FIR for murder. We are in touch with a lawyer who will draft our complaint. Once we receive the draft, we will submit it at Kaimganj police station,” they said on Thursday.
However, the complaint had so far not reached the police. “Investigation into the case is underway. We have not received the complaint yet...once we do, we will register the case immediately,” said SSP (Farrukhabad) Alok Priyadarshi.
The Farrukhabad police faced criticism on Wednesday as Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the handling of the case, alleging that cops were pressuring the families to follow their directives.
The father of one of the deceased, who had raised five key questions related to the deaths of the girls, released a video rebutting the political leaders’ claims. He stated that the cremation of the bodies was done out of their own volition and that the police did not coerce the families to do so.
On Wednesday, the families had refused to perform the last rites for several hours and rejected the post-mortem report, raising a string of troubling questions about the police investigation and the medical process. The post-mortem report suggested that the girls died of ante-mortem asphyxia, or hanging. Based on this, the police said the case appeared to be one of suicide.
The bodies were eventually cremated at Ataina Ghat on the Badaun border after sub-divisional magistrate Ravindra Singh and circle officer Jitendra Singh Tomar assured the families of a transparent investigation.
The families returned to the village late at night but did not meet Congress leader Louise Khurshid who reached there. Khurshid, however, met the aunt of the younger girl.
During her hour-long visit, Khurshid expressed anguish over the deaths and consoled the kin. She expressed her intention to meet higher authorities to ensure the case is solved as soon as possible. Samajwadi party leaders also reached the village.
Police officials said they had made some headway in the investigation that is centred around analysis of electronic data. “Lot of data is being analysed to reach to a conclusion in this case,” said an official, adding that the clear picture was likely to emerge soon.
