Yogi govt will ensure 'harshest' punishment to Dalit sisters' killers: UP Deputy CMs

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh`s Deputy Chief Ministers on Thursday assured strict action against the culprits in the rape and murder of two Dalit girls in UP`s Lakhimpur Kheri and urged the opposition to `console the family instead of politicising the matter`.

"Lakhimpur incident is sad and unfortunate. Harshest action to be taken against all criminals. I`d expect the Opposition, whether Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi or Mayawati that instead of politicising, they console the family. But the rule of law has prevailed in UP," said Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya.

UP | Lakhimpur incident sad, unfortunate. Harshest action to be taken against all criminals. I'd expect oppn, whether Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi or Mayawati that instead of politicising, they console the family. But the rule of law has prevailed in UP: Dy CM KP Maurya pic.twitter.com/QqAPStbXmA — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 15, 2022

Assuring justice to the Dalit girls, state Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said "the government will take such an action that the souls of their (culprits`) coming generations will also shiver".

"Justice will be given; proceedings via fast-track court," Pathak added.

#WATCH | Junaid, Sohail, Hafizul, Karimuddin & Arif involved. Girls were strangled to death & then hanged. Govt will take such an action that the souls of their coming generations will also shiver. Justice will be given; proceedings via fast-track court: UP Dy CM Brajesh Pathak https://t.co/QoNlxHFwYq pic.twitter.com/dDqAtdxQ2o — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 15, 2022

Lakhimpur Kheri`s Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Suman informed on Thursday that a total of six persons, identified as Chotu, Junaid, Sohail, Hafizul, Karimuddin and Arif were arrested in the case.

According to the SP, the accused Junaid was nabbed in an encounter where he was shot in the leg and disclosed that the accused were friends with the deceased girls.

"The girls were yesterday lured to a farm and raped by Sohail and Junaid. After the girls wanted the accused to marry them, Sohail, Hafizul, and Junaid strangulated and killed them. They then called Karimuddin and Arif and hanged the girls to eliminate any proof," SP Sanjeev Suman said.

As per Suman, all the accused persons except Chotu hailed from Lalpur village in Lakhimpur Kheri.

Chotu, who was a neighbour of the girls, had introduced the two girls to these boys and he too has been arrested, the SP added.

He further said that this was a preliminary probe and the post-mortem will start in about 2-3 hours.

On Wednesday evening, the bodies of two minor sisters were found hanging from a tree in Lalpur Majra Tamoli Purva village under the Nighasan police station of Lakhimpur Kheri district.

Local villagers and the girls` family lodged a protest as they marched and blocked the road demanding justice for the victims. The family of the deceased had accused three men of rape and murder and staged a demonstration at the Nighasan crossing, a few kilometres from the village.