UP Shocker: Two minor Dalit girls raped and hung from tree in Lakhimpur Kheri; 6 arrested, one shot in leg

Lucknow: The police have arrested six men who allegedly raped and murdered two Dalit sisters, aged 17 and 15, in Nighasan tehsil, in Lakhimpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The bodies of the girls were found hanging from a tree on Wednesday. One of the accused was shot by the police in his leg during arrest early on Thursday.

Deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Brajesh Pathak, said the trial will be held in a fast-track court and the state government will take such strict action that “the souls of the coming generations of the culprits will shiver”.

Meanwhile, the family of the girls has demanded death penalty for the accused, besides Rs 1 crore as compensation and a government job for the victims’ brother.

Additional Director General (ADG, law and order) Prashant also visited the crime spot in Lakhimpur on Thursday. Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjiv Suman said the accused have been identified as Suhail, Junaid, Hafizul Rahman, Karimuddin, Arif and Chhotu, who lives in the neighbourhood of the girls’ family in Tamolinpurwa village. While Chhotu introduced the girls to Suhail and Junaid – the two key accused – the others helped them get rid of the evidence.

While the family claimed the girls were kidnapped, the police said they went willingly with Suhail and Junaid. There were also reports of the girls’ mother being thrashed by the cops, which the police have denied. After the incident on Wednesday night, hundreds of villagers had staged a protest and blocked the roads.

The opposition parties said the “law and order situation has collapsed in BJP’s rule”. BSP leader and former chief minister Mayawati said, “Criminals in UP are fearless because this government’s priorities are wrong.” BJP’s Keshav Prasad Maurya, also a deputy to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked the opposition “to desist from politics and stand with the family”.