Uttar Pradesh: There is uproar in India after the bodies of two Dalit sisters belonging to the marginalised Dalit community were found hanging from a tree in the northern Uttar Pradesh state.
The mother of the girls said that her daughters were kidnapped by three Hindutva men on 14 Sep and were later found hanging from a tree in a cane field. The incident is reminiscent of the 2014 deaths of Badaun sisters, who were found dead in similar conditions.
It led to massive protests in the village as the girls’ family had alleged that their daughters had been raped and murdered. Local villagers and the girls’ family marched a protest and blocked the road demanding justice for the victims. IG Police Lucknow Range, Laxmi Singh said, “The girls were found hanging by their own dupattas. There were no apparent injuries on body.” There is deep suspicion of the police among the Dalit community. Authorities are accused of apathy and of protecting the upper caste accused following the assault of lower caste Hindus. The recent death of two sisters has provoked anger against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with opposition leaders accusing him of running a lawless government.
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Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, “In Yogi Adityanath government, goons are harassing mothers and sisters every day, very shameful. The government should get the matter investigated, the culprits should get the harshest punishment.”
He added, “After the abduction and murder of two Dalit sisters in the Nighasan police station area, their father’s serious allegation against the police that their post-mortem was done without Panchnama and consent.
After farmers in Lakhimpur, the killing of Dalits is now a heinous repetition of the ‘Hathras ki Beti’ massacre.” A 19-year-old Dalit woman was raped allegedly by four upper-caste men in Hathras on 14 September last year. She died on 29 September at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital. Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati said that criminals in Uttar Pradesh had no fear because the government’s “priorities are wrong”.
Priyanka Gandhi from the Congress party also attacked Mr Yogi Adityanath and said that “giving false advertisements in newspapers and TV does not improve law and order”. She asked, “After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in UP?” The deaths have sparked an outrage, re-igniting a debate in India on the safety of its women. Web Desk
