New Delhi: Two Dalit teenage sisters were found hanging from a tree in a field in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday (September 14, 2022), police said and added that six people have been arrested. The bodies were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field in the Lalpur Majra Tamoli Purva village, which comes under the Nighasan police station of Lakhimpur Kheri district. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.


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"We have arrested Junaid, Sohail, Hafizur Rehman, Karimuddin, Arif and Chottu in an overnight operation," Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) told reporters.



All six have been booked for murder and rape, and under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.


Junaid and Sohail were in a relationship with the two sisters, the SP said.


"As per the preliminary investigation, the two sisters left their home on Wednesday afternoon on the persuasion of Junaid and Sohail. Junaid and Sohail have confessed that they strangulated the girls after raping them," he added.



Meanwhile, Opposition parties including Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) attacked the Yogi Adityanath-led government over "increasing" crimes against women in the state. 


"Murder of two Dalit sisters after kidnapping them in Nighasan police station area. Their father's allegation on the police is very serious that they carried out 'panchnama' and post-mortem without the family's consent. After farmers in Lakhimpur, the killing of Dalits is now a repetition of the murder of 'Hathras' daughter'," SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said.



"The killings of the two sisters in Lakhimpur is heartbreaking. The family says the girls were abducted in broad daylight. Law and order in the state doesn't improve by giving false advertisements in newspapers and TV every day. After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in Uttar Pradesh? When will the government wake up?," Priyanka said.



"Criminals in UP are roaming fearlessly because the priorities of the government are wrong," BSP supremo Mayawati said and urged the state government to make necessary reforms in its policy, methodology and priorities.



Harshest action to be taken against all criminals: UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya


Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Chief Ministers have assured strict action against the culprits and have 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 ask the Opposition, whether Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi or Mayawati, that instead of politicising, they console the family," Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya said.


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


(With agency inputs)