Teenaged girl allegedly raped, hanged from a tree in UP

A teenaged Dalit girl was allegedly ‘raped’ and hanged from a tree in Nighasan area of the district, bringing back gory memories of the infamous Badaun incident where two cousins were killed in a similar manner.

A teenaged Dalit girl was allegedly ‘raped’ and hanged from a tree in Nighasan area of the district, bringing back gory memories of the infamous Badaun incident where two cousins were killed in a similar manner.

The victim, possibly aged 16, was found near Taparpurwa village in the district -- about 130 km from Lucknow, police said.

The incident triggered angry outbursts from leaders of political parties, who slammed the Samajwadi Party government for a “law and order machinery that is hanging from trees.”

The father of the girl accused two youths of the village of raping his daughter before killing her. Police said the two suspects had previously harassed the girl after which the father had thrashed the duo. “The girl’s younger sister said the two had threatened to take revenge,” police said.

The victim’s death has been confirmed to be due to the hanging, but police are still waiting for medical confirmation of rape.

Kheri superintendent of police (SP) Arvind Sen Yadav said the body bore signs of a possible sexual assault.