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Rahul speaks to bereaved father as Amethi victims’ bodies reach Rae Bareli village
Amethi MP Kishori Lal, who came to Rae Bareli at Gandhi’s behest, arranged the phone call, which lasted about three minutes, according to visuals
LUCKNOW Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday spoke on the phone to the man whose son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters were shot dead by unknown assailants in nearby Amethi. Ram Gopal, aged over 60, arrived in Sudamapur village in the Unchahar area of Rae Bareli with the bodies of his family members, who were killed in their rented home on Thursday evening.
Amethi MP Kishori Lal, who came to Rae Bareli at Gandhi’s behest, arranged the phone call, which lasted about three minutes, according to visuals.
The bodies were taken to Sudamapur village in Unchahar area of Rae Bareli after the post-mortem examination in Amethi. Family members and relatives of the victims wailed as the shrouded bodies lay outside the house.
Kishori Lal Sharma said, “I have been in touch with the family since yesterday. The father mentioned about the FIR lodged in the past, as also being reported in the media. I have spoken to the DM of Amethi and sought a probe into the case from all angles. Let the police investigation be completed.”
“But in a way, this incident is an example of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. The government keeps patting its back, claiming good law and order, but if that is the case, why are such incidents happening,” he asked.
“I have spoken to Rahul ji and apprised him about the incident and the situation. He asked me to reach the village. The incident happened in my constituency and the victims were natives of Rahulji’s parliamentary constituency. Both constituencies are associated with the Gandhi family,” Sharma told reporters.
In the wake of the incident, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday paid his condolences to the bereaved family and said the act was “unpardonable”.
Opposition leaders in UP attacked the BJP-led state government over law and order situation in the state, citing the murder of the Dalit family.
“The brutal murder of four members of a Dalit family in Amethi is extremely sad and worrying. The government should also take strict action against the culprits and the policemen there so that the criminals do not remain fearless,” Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said on X.
“The rule of law has been destroyed in the state. The flag of terror of goons, miscreants and criminals is flying high in UP and no step of the government is visible in the direction of ending this terror,” said UP Congress president Ajay Rai.
Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad said, “The incident in Amethi tells that there is no rule of law in UP but jungle raj... The murder of the whole family in Amethi is the real picture of the law and order of UP.”
Post-mortem examination findings
Though the Amethi police were still not certain about the number of assailants, the findings of the post-mortem examination of the victims’ bodies suggested that the assailants ensured that they left no chances of the couple’s survival in the attack.
The report confirmed that Sunil Kumar suffered three bullet wounds, his wife was shot twice while their two daughters succumbed after suffering single bullet shot each. It suggested that a total of seven rounds of bullets were fired to eliminate the entire family.
A three-member team of doctors conducted the post-mortem of the bodies in Amethi with videography. According to the officials, after completing the process amid tight security arrangements, all four bodies were sent to Sudamapur village in Rae Bareli.
Amethi police chief Anoop Kumar Singh said five police teams had been deployed to work on the case and hoped to crack it soon. There has been no arrest yet in the case. (Inputs from agencies)
