Leaders condemn brutal murder of Dalit girl in Ayodhya, UP govt assures 'strict action'

The body of the Dalit girl was found in a mutilated condition in a canal near her village, with her eyes gouged out. The girl's family has alleged murder.

While, the Opposition has accused BJP of being "anti-Bahujan" citing 'rising incidents of crimes against Dalits under BJP rule, the UP government has refuted the allegations while assuring that the culprits will be held to account.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati condemned the incident and urged the government to take strict action so that a similar incident does not occur in future.

"The body of a daughter of a Dalit family was found naked in Sahnawan, District Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Both her eyes were gouged out and she was also subjected to inhuman treatment. This is a very sad and serious matter. The government should take strict steps so that such an incident does not recur," Mayawati said in a post on X.

Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad, was among the first leaders to speak on the incident.

He broke down during a press conference after the unclothed body of a Dalit girl was found in a village in Uttar Pradesh. He lashed out at the state government terming it an "extremely sad and inhuman" crime, and said that if justice is not served, he would resign from the Lok Sabha.

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also condemned the brutal murder of a Dalit girl in Ayodhya and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh of being "anti-Bahujan".

He added that the "heinous atrocities" have been on a rise in the state under BJP rule.

Alleging that the administration didn't pay heed to the victim girl's family's cry for help, Rahul questioned how many more families will have to suffer like this.

In a post on X Rahul said, "The inhumanity and brutal murder of a Dalit daughter in Ayodhya is heart-breaking and very shameful. If the administration had paid heed to the cry for help of the girl's family that had been echoing for three days, perhaps her life could have been saved."

"Another daughter's life ended due to this heinous crime. After all, how many more families will have to cry and suffer like this? Under the anti-Bahujan BJP rule, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the heinous atrocities, injustice and murders against Dalits are increasing rampantly."

Furthermore, Gandhi appealed to the authorities to treat the victim's family with dignity and not subject them to harassment, as he claimed had happened in similar cases in the past.

"The Uttar Pradesh government should immediately investigate this crime, ensure that the culprits are given the harshest punishment and take strict action against the responsible policemen. And please do not harass the victim's family as usual. The daughters of the country and the entire Dalit community are looking towards you for justice," he added.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi also slammed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government and stated that in the "BJP's Jungle Raj," no one listens to the "cries of Dalits, tribals, backward and poor."

"The kind of barbarism that was meted out to a Dalit girl who had gone to listen to the Bhagwat Katha in Ayodhya would send shivers down the spine of any human being. Such cruel incidents shame the entire humanity," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post on X.

"The girl was missing for three days but the police did nothing. In the BJP's Jungle Raj, no one is there to listen to the cries of Dalits, tribals, backward and poor. The UP government has become synonymous with atrocities on Dalits. I demand that strict action be taken against those guilty of atrocities as well as the responsible policemen and officers," she added.

In response, Uttar Pradesh Minister Swatantra Dev Singh said that the state is no longer ruled by Samajwadi Party so "no accused will be spared." Slamming Awadhesh Prasad, he termed his remarks a "drama".

"What is this drama he is doing? There is law and order in the state. No accused will be spared. Samajwadi Party govt is not in the state. The accused will be punished," Swatantra Dev Singh told ANI.

Singh's remark was particularly in response to Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad's press conference during which he broke down and said that if justice is not served, he would resign from the Lok Sabha.

"What is this drama he is doing? There is law and order in the state. No accused will be spared. Samajwadi Party govt is not in the state. The accused will be punished...," said Swatantra Dev Singh.

Earlier, Ayodhya SSP Rajkaran Nayyar informed that police have detained a suspect for questioning and formed special teams to probe the case.

SSP Nayyar said, "On 31st January 2025, information was received at Darshan Nagar Chowki that a girl was asleep with her sister on the night of 30th January but the girl was missing when the sister woke up the next morning. She informed the Police about the same. Police registered a case and formed two teams to look for the girl. It was found this morning, that the body of the girl has been found in a field. Senior officials and the Forensics team reached the spot and collected scientific evidence."

"Prima facie, it seems that the murder did not happen on the spot, the girl was murdered somewhere else and her body was disposed of in the field. Three teams have been formed as of now, one suspect has been taken into custody and is being questioned. The case will be cracked soon and the guilty will be given the strictest punishment through fast-track court. All teams are working towards it," he added.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Maurya, member of UP Women Commission met victims' families and assured them of justice in the incident.

Speaking to ANI after meeting the victim's family Maurya said, "It is a very sad incident. I came here to meet the family members of the victim. I assured their family that justice will be served. Whoever has committed this incident should understand that Yogi Govt is in the state and the family will get justice." (ANI)