Kanpur Dehat (UP), Feb 14 (IANS) The family of the two women who died in a fire during an anti-encroachment drive on Monday evening, have refused to cremate the bodies unless the accused officials are arrested.
The family also wants to talk to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the issue.
More than 18 hours have passed since Pramila Dixit (45), and her daughter Neha (20), died in their hut that was set on fire, allegedly by policemen, during an anti-encroachment drive in Kanpur Dehat.
The charred bodies still lie in their hut, now reduced to ashes.
The district police had initially claimed that the women set themselves on fire. But in a swift U-turn, state police on Tuesday filed a murder case against 13 people, including the sub divisional magistrate, the in-charge of the local police station and the bulldozer operator. They have also been charged with attempted murder and voluntarily causing hurt.
The incident took place last evening in Madauli village when officials of police, district administration and the revenue department had gone to remove encroachments from a “gram samaj” or government land, a police officer said.
The villagers said the officials arrived with a bulldozer and that they were not given any prior notice.
“They started the fire while people were still inside. We were just about able to escape. They broke our temple. Nobody did anything, not even the district magistrate. Everybody ran, nobody could save my mother,” said Pramila’s son Shivam Dixit.
District police chief BBGTS Murthy had claimed that the woman and her daughter locked themselves inside the hut and set it on fire, which resulted in their death.
Divisional Commissioner Raj Shekhar later said an inquiry has been ordered. “It is a very unfortunate incident. We are with the family. We will not spare those responsible,” he said.
The Opposition has slammed the Yogi Adityanath government over the tragic incident.
The Samajwadi Party alleged that under the BJP rule, Brahmins are being targetted. Upper caste Brahmins comprise an influential group in the state’s political landscape.
“Under the Yogi (Adityanath) government, Brahmin families are targetted, and such incidents are taking place selectively. Like Dalits and backwards, Brahmins are also a target of atrocities of the Yogi government,” the opposition party said in a tweet in Hindi.
A delegation of Samajwadi leaders was prevented from going to the Madauli village where the incident took place.
The Congress, too, slammed the state government, saying that ‘dictatorship is at its pinnacle’ in Uttar Pradesh.
–IANS
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