Last evening, police in Uttar Pradesh arrested Vinay Kumar and a minor for the deaths of two Dalit minor sisters aged 15 and 17 in Baburaha village of Unnao. A third, their 16-year-old cousin, is critical in hospital. They were found lying in a field, where they had gone to cut fodder on February 17.
An FIR was initially lodged under sections 302 and 201. The family of the girls had alleged rape, but Lakshmi Singh, inspector-general of police, Lucknow range, clarified that the “post-mortem report has not detected any symptoms of sexual assault and no injury has been found on the victims”.
Also Read: Unnao Case: What the fields hide: The crushed dreams of Dalit girls
According to the police, the accused Vinay attempted to kill the 16-year-old because she rejected his proposal. His plan was to poison her with water laced with pesticide. While she survived, the girl is now critical in Regency Hospital, Kanpur. The accused are residents of Pathakpur gram panchayat in Baburaha village, which falls under Asoha constabulary in Unnao district.
“During interrogation, the accused admitted to befriending one of the girls during lockdown. He proposed to her and she rejected it. She also refused to pass on her phone number, and so he plotted to kill her,” IG Singh stated at a press conference held late yesterday.
A press note issued by the police said Kumar, who owned the land next to the field where the girls were found, had told one of his friends that his proposal had been rejected.
On February 17, he had brought along pesticide diluted in water and asked his friend to bring snacks. He visited the field where the girls were cutting fodder and asked them to eat. The girls were also carrying some snacks on them. When they asked for water, he gave them the pesticide-laced water.
“Though he wished to poison only one of them, all three girls drank the water,” the police note said. When the girls fell unconscious, he dumped their bodies in their family’s mustard field, where they were found at around 7 pm on February 17. It is alleged the throat and hands of the girls were tied with their dupatta.
“The police were not present at the crime spot when the bodies were recovered from the field. Only the family was there,” IG Singh stated at the press conference. He added that the accused had not admitted to this during interrogation.
The presiding doctor at the community health centre at Asoha declared two girls, aged 15 and 17, dead on arrival. They were buried last morning amid heavy police presence. Local administration officials were also present in strength.
When the girls began foaming from the mouth after drinking the diluted pesticide, Kumar abandoned them and fled in panic, the police said. IG Singh said “evidence recovered by the forensic team from the spot corroborates the statement of the accused. The Call Data Records (CDR) investigation has also confirmed the accused’s presence in the spot during the incident. We will explore every angle,” he said.
Last rites performed; village mourns
The family was initially reluctant to bury the bodies, but IG Singh met them last morning and persuaded them to carry out the last rites. A prospective groom was to come by yesterday to see the 17-year-old girl, now deceased. The 15-year-old girl lost her mother when she was 12 days old and was raised by her grandparents.
“People were supposed to come today to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage,” her mother wept. “See how many people have gathered. Even her wedding would not have drawn this kind of crowd,” she lamented.
Meanwhile, the father of one of the girls took ill during the last rites and was taken to hospital. A team of doctors is at the village to attend to the family.
“I used to see the cousins go to the field every day,” said a woman in the neighbourhood, “They were a happy lot. They laughed so easily,” she added.
