Uttar Pradesh— Until 95 days ago, Ravi Prakash (name changed) earned his livelihood by working in a paper-wrapping company in Delhi. His younger brother Naman Prakash also worked in the same company. Between their earnings, they could manage their expenses well, and also save some money to send to their parents in their village.
After 14 September 2022, however, everything changed. In the afternoon on that day, their two sisters were allegedly abducted from the village bytwo young men riding motorbikes. About 1.5 kilometres from their home, the sisters were raped, after which both of them were strangled to death. The dead bodies of both sisters were hanged with a single dupatta [scarf] from the branch of a tree.
The brothers were both working in Delhi. When they heard the information about the incident on the phone, both were profoundly shocked. They could not understand how and why all this had happened. Just a month before on Raksha Bandhan [A festival of Hindus which is special for brothers and sisters] , Ravi had gone to the village to meet his two sisters. He had bought a new cooler on the insistence of both sisters. When he left for Delhi after Raksha Bandhan, the sisters had extracted a promise from him to bring them a sewing machine. All their dreams had beenshattered in one go. Everything was now changed.
The brothers returned to their village from Delhi. The dead bodies of the sisters were laid out in the courtyard of the house, and near them, their mother was crying bitterly. An atmosphere of fear and anxiety pervaded the entire village. The police force and people from the media were everywhere. Due to the incident, various leaders were also making their way to the village. The family along with all the people of the village were not commencing the last rites for both daughters. It was only after the officials who had arrived at the spot had made several pledges, that the family agreed to perform the last rites. Then started the fight for justice for the sisters, the responsibility for which fell on both brothers.
On 14 September 2022, in a village in the Nighasan police station area of Lakhimpur Kheri, UP, two Dalit sisters were raped and then murdered. Their bodies were left hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field. After this incident, the UP government came under attack from the opposition. The news of the incident became viral across the country. Within 24 hours of the incident, the police arrested six people accused in the case. The police presented a chargesheet pertaining to the case in the court. Since then, both the brothers have been making rounds of the court because of the case.
At the same time, the family of the victims has been compelled to live under police protection. There is no source of income. The household expenses are just being covered by the money sent as financial assistance by government. Both brothers have also lost their jobs because they were not able to return to them. Due to the trial being heard in the fast-track court, the family of the victims travels daily in a hired vehicle to the District POCSO Court, which is about 65 km from Nighasan. So far, about 2 lakh rupees have been spent only on hiring a vehicle and commuting to the court.
Ravi said, “We use a hired vehicle for attending the court every day. Until now, we have made about 80 round trips to the court. For every attendance, a vehicle has to be booked at the rate of Rs 1,500 for the trip. A single armed constable also accompanies usthroughout the trip.”
The wronged Dalit family also practically does notown any cultivable land. They survive by sharecropping in the fields of others. After the incident, the government had promised to lease farmland to them. But this still has not been done. The father of the victims is not being able to take appropriate care of the crops that he had grown on sharecropped land. Because of living under 24-hour police protection, he cannot go for long enoughto the field.
Ninety days have passed since the incident. The family of the victims is still unable to forget the day when the incident happened. The family members feel afraid to go out of the house at night. At the same time, they are also fearful when they travel to and from the court, although they are always accompanied by a police personnel.
Point 1- Under the SC/ST Act, on 16/09/2022, an amount of Rs 16 lakh to be sent to the father’s account for financial assistance.
Point 2- The amount permissible under the Rani Laxmi Bai Yojana will be payable immediately on completion of the investigation of the case.
Point 3- Prompt action to be taken via the Block office for provision of housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
Point 4- A proposal will be sent to the government through proper channels after receipt of applicationfor providing a job and other permissible assistance.
Point 5- The accused in the incident to be prosecuted in fast-track court for the harshest punishment of hanging.
Which pledges have been fulfilled ...
Points 1 and 5: Until now, financial assistance of Rs 16 lakh from the government and administration has been received, and the case is being heard in the fast-track court.
The pledges made in points 2, 3 and 4 have not been fulfilled by the government and its administration. After the investigation of the case was completed, a chargesheet was filed on 28 September 2022. However, even after 82 days of debate, as promised in point 2, the family of the victims have not received any monies under the Rani Laxmi Bai Yojana even after 82 days of discussion.
Nighasan’s jurisdictional officer, S.N. Tiwari, conducted the investigation into the matter. He told The Mooknayak, “The investigation of the case has been completed and the chargesheet has been filed. As per the pledge given, the Social Welfare Department has been notified to release the amount to be given under the Rani Laxmi Bai Yojana. Where is the file now? I do not know about that.”
Under this scheme, women and girls who are victims of heinous crimes are given financial aid. Like a woman or girl child on whom acid has been deliberately thrown. If death occurs due to dowry harassment, financial assistance is given to the victim's family members as per government policies.
In this, assistance given ranges fromRs.3 lakhs to Rs.10 lakhs. The proceedings are heard every month. After the death of a woman, the financial aid can be used to look after her children.
As per the pledge made in point 3, immediate action was to be taken through the Block office to provide housing for the victim's family under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The current Block Development Officer (BDO) Rakesh Kumar Singh, however, said, “The family has already received the benefit of housing under the Pradhan Mantri Yojana in the past. As per rules, once a person has received benefit under this Yojna, they cannot be given benefit under this scheme again. We will follow the order that comes from the government.”
According to point 4, a proposal was to be sent to the government through proper channels after receipt of application for providing a job and other permissible assistance. The family of victims in this case told us that even after 95 days of the incident, no correspondence had happened for the job. An attempt was made to contact the District Magistrate of Lakhimpur regarding this matter, however we were unable to get through to the District Magistrate until the time of writing this news.
The Mooknayak spoke to the family of the victims. The brother of the deceased Dalit sisters said, “Until nowwe have only received the 16 lakhs financial aid from the government. None of the other pledges that were made have been fulfilled.”
The government ordered the trial to be conducted in a fast-track court. After this, the policefiled the chargesheet within two weeks of the incident. Then the trial also started in the fast-track court. About 80 hearings have taken place so far. Statements of a total of 11 people have been recorded in the court.
[Story Translated By Lotika Singha]
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