The body of a 13-year-old girl was found in a sugarcane field about 300 metres from her house last Friday in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Police said the victim had been raped and killed and added that two young men were arrested in this connection the same day.

SP Satendra Kumar of Kheri District dismissed claims on social media that the victim’s eyes were gouged out and her tongue cut.

Kumar told Gaon Connection that  “nothing of the sort has come out in the postmortem report or the panchnama, only rape has been confirmed. We have the video in which a panel of three doctors had conducted the postmortem,” he said.  “The police are on the lookout for the rumour monger”, he added. 

Police said the victim’s father had spotted the two youths outside the sugarcane field when he was searching for his daughter. He reported the matter to police and they registered a case under section 302 against both the youths on the basis of his suspicion.  

Kumar said “the two suspects mentioned in the father’s complaint were arrested the same night. The post mortem report has confirmed rape, so we have extended the charges under POCSO and rape sections,” he added.

According to the girl’s mother, her daughter, the youngest of her three children, had gone to the fields with a lota (pitcher) in the afternoon and when she did not return by the evening, the family had gone to look for her. “She was found lying dead in the sugarcane field with her lota by her side. Her eyes were bleeding and her tongue had protruded out.” the mother told Gaon Connection over the phone.

The incident took place in the area under Isannagar police station of Lakhimpur Kheri district, about 156 kms from Lucknow. 

The village pradhan (head) told Gaon Connection, that the girl’s father had spotted the two men near the fields but they had denied seeing the girl. The father found his daughter lying in the fields with her legs tied and a dupatta (scarf) fastened around her neck.

“We have built the family a home toilet, yet I don’t know what prompted the girl to go out. Maybe she simply wanted to go out to the fields,” the pradhan said.

Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, in their respective tweets,  had questioned the government over the shocking incident.  

“For the first time in my life of 70 years, such a traumatic incident has taken place in the village. The entire village is upset and angry over the incident. Out of the two accused who have been apprehended, one is around 25-26 years old and married. The second would be 19-20 years of age,” the pradhan said.

He too denied that the victim’s face was mutilated. “No, I had seen the mortal remains, the place near her eye was only scratched probably because it was the sugarcane field,” he said.