LUCKNOW A 14-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped and then hammered to death by a 16-year-old boy in Takrohi village under Lucknow’s Indira Nagar police station on Wednesday afternoon. Following the murder, the teenage accused, a Muslim, hanged the body of the girl to mislead the police and make it seem like a suicide.
According to preliminary reports, the incident took place when the girl’s parents, who run a small shop near Munshipulia, were out for work. The two siblings of the victim -- a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl -- were allegedly locked in a room by the accused while committing the horrific crime. The girl’s mother spotted the boy coming out of the house as she returned home around 1:30 pm.
“As I entered my home, I saw the accused coming out. He was perplexed to find me. I asked him how he entered the house but he started to run away in panic. I even caught his scarf but he somehow managed to escape,” the victim’s mother told HT. She added, “I heard my two younger children locked in one of the rooms. The moment I unlocked the door, they told me that their elder sister was not answering their cries and that they were locked inside by someone. When we went upstairs, we found my elder girl’s body hanging from the ceiling fan. Her legs were touching the bed.”
Sharing further details, SM Qasim Abidi, Lucknow’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), North, said, “Police have taken the accused minor boy into custody. We are initiating legal proceedings after lodging an FIR at the Indira Nagar police station based on the complaint of the girl’s father.”
{{/usCountry}}Sharing further details, SM Qasim Abidi, Lucknow’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), North, said, “Police have taken the accused minor boy into custody. We are initiating legal proceedings after lodging an FIR at the Indira Nagar police station based on the complaint of the girl’s father.”
{{/usCountry}}The DCP added, “Forensic experts were called to the spot to examine the circumstances and the evidence. Further investigation is underway while the postmortem report is awaited. Simultaneously, the arrested boy is being questioned. He would be produced before the juvenile justice board.”
The father of the victim girl has said that the accused used to live 1.5 km away from their house. “The boy first raped my daughter and then hit her head with a hammer when she resisted. After killing her, he tried to mislead us all by hanging the body,” said the girl’s father in his complaint.
On Thursday, the girl’s father and area locals staged a protest with the body before cremation rituals. They demanded strict action against the accused. Women activists from the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) also gathered at the spot and staged a protest as the girl’s body reached her home for the last time after the postmortem. The bereaved family tried to take the body to the main crossing for protest but they were intercepted by the large police team, which was deployed at the spot to handle the situation.
The family asked for the accused to be hanged and raised slogans shaming the Uttar Pradesh Police. All senior police officials, local politicians, and heads of several independent organisations also reached the site and requested the family members to cremate the body. After a few hours, the family acceded to the local administration’s request.
‘MY DAUGHTER WAS A BRIGHT STUDENT’
Still in shock and disbelief, the girl’s father said, “My daughter was a bright student. She secured a first division in her Class 10th exams last year. Despite financial constraints, we made sure that she gets a good education. Is this the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ the government talks about? What are we supposed to do when daughters are not safe even in their own homes?”
Echoing her husband, the girl’s mother said, “My eldest daughter was born talented. I never forced her to do household work, so, she could study. All for what? To see a day when she is killed without any mercy?”
Meanwhile, AIDWA member Vandana Rai said, “We have handed over a letter to the Deputy District Magistrate as he came to the spot. In the letter, we have asked the concerned officials to file a chargesheet against the accused without any delay and also to file a case in the fast-track court. We have also asked for financial assistance of ₹25 lakh for the family. Also, one member of the family should be given a government job.”