3 years on, man, son acquitted in false hate crime case in Madhya Pradesh

Though she returned to her village in March last year and recorded her statement at the Amarwada police station, the police took 10 months to establish that she was indeed Kanchan

Updated on: Jan 25, 2024, 07:06:08 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Nearly 10 months after Kanchan Uike returned home to defend her father and brother, incarcerated for killing her in a hate crime, a court in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh acquitted the two and asked the inspector general of police (IGP) to take action against the investigating officer.

Kanchan, then a 14-year-old tribal girl, went missing from her home in Jopnala village in June 2014 (Getty Images)

Kanchan, then a 14-year-old tribal girl, went missing from her home in Jopnala village in June 2014. After failing to trace her for seven years, the police in early 2021 came up with a theory that she had been killed by her father Sannu Uikey (54) and brother Sunny (18).

In a 42-page charge sheet submitted before the judicial magistrate (first class) in Amarawada on March 12, 2021, the police said the accused were angered by an alleged relationship she was in, beat her to death and buried her body under a mango tree in the village.

Though she returned to her village in March last year and recorded her statement at the Amarwada police station, the police took 10 months to establish that she was indeed Kanchan, which was eventually proven by the DNA report during reinvestigation, defence lawyer Subodh Shrivasatva said.

On Tuesday, the Amarwada sessions and district court acquitted her father and brother. “The investigation officer in the case, then sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Santosh Dehariya conducted the probe with utmost carelessness and extreme dullness. The accused had to be detained in unnecessary judicial custody. A copy of the decision should be sent to the Inspector General of Police, Chhindwara, for taking disciplinary action against the investigating officer,” Amarwada additional sessions judge Sandeep Kumar Patil said in the order.

After his acquittal, Sunny Uike said it was his second life. “We were fabricated in the false case. We were forced to recover the bone from the area which was burial ground of our ancestors. Had Kanchan not returned, I could not have proved my innocence,” he said.

(With inputs from Bhojraj Raghuvanshi in Chhindwara)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike LIVE and more across India.