Six arrested in Lakhimpur Kheri for rape and murder of Dalit sisters

Lakhimpur Kheri: Uttar Pradesh police have arrested six people under POCSO 2012 act for raping and murdering two Dalit girls. The sisters were found hanging from a tree a day ago. Police said the minors were allegedly raped and strangled and hanged.

Six accused were identified asChotu, Junaid, Suhail, Hafizul Rehman, Karimuddin, and Arif. Police said one of them had to be caught following an encounter. He has received a gunshot injury on his leg.

The mother of the victims said that Chotu came calling for the girls around 3 pm on Wednesday. Soon, three boys came and started dragging her daughters away. She tried to stop them and ran after them. The boys beat up the mother and left. She ran to the villagers seeking help. Victims' brother told the media that the family want the accused to receive the death penalty. Angry villagers staged a protest and blocked a road until the police ensured a thorough probe will be carried out and strict action will be taken against the guilty.

According to the police, the victims and the accused belong to the same village. Chotu knew the girls and introduced them to three others - Suhail, Hafuzul, and Junaid. When the girls started demanding to get married, they attacked them. They called Karimuddin and Arif - friends from the same village - to assist in hanging the bodies from the tree, reported The Indian Express.

Police have registered an FIR under IPC sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntary causing hurt), 452 (house trespass), 378 (theft), and 3 and 4 (sexual assault) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told ANI that the government will take action to ensure that even the next generation of the accused will "shiver". Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati observed that the state has a law and order issue which has made most of the criminals fearless. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also slammed the crime rate.