Arvind Shukla and Ashwini Dwivedi

For the past three weeks, many homes in Jhinjholi gram panchayat in Uttar Pradesh have only the elderly, women and children staying in them. Following police raids and cases filed against the villagers for their protest against a young boy’s death, the men have fled. On August 24, 15-year-old Vikas was trying to chase stray cattle from his field when he touched the wire fence. Immediately, electricity from an 11,000 kilo volt (KV) high-tension line that had snapped the previous night coursed through his body, killing him. Power supply had been cut but had been restored before the line was repaired. Alleging that his death was because of negligence by the electricity department, the villagers protested with his corpse. What followed was brutal — the police registered a case under many sections of the IPC incriminating 75 villagers, including 35 women. Ten people have been named. They also raided their houses at night for some days — villagers have been injured too — to arrest those named. 

“Our village lost a child, but we are being unfairly harassed. Along with the grief, we suffer police persecution,” complained villager Shivdevi, 55. “Police have raided the village eight times,” pointed out another villager Shanti Devi, whose sons have also fled home. 

Jhinjholi, which falls under Atrauli police station, is in Hardoi district, 65 kilometres (km) from the state capital Lucknow. Gaon Connection visited the village on September 8. 

Vikas’ heartbroken parents Rajjan Giri and Lakshmi are inconsolable. “Our son writhed and died before our eyes, and we were unable to do anything,” said Giri. The entire village rallied to protest his death, and farmer leader Rakesh Singh Chouhan of Hardoi too lent support. 

Following a heated argument with officials, the villagers brought back Vikas’ body. Shortly after this, a post-mortem was conducted and the boy’s last rites completed on August 25. Soon, the villagers found that they had been incriminated; the three sons of the gram pradhan were also named in the case. Three people have been arrested since then, under Section 151 of CrPC to prevent the commission of cognisable offences. 

“The police have not allowed us a night’s rest since the incident. We women are traumatised and unable to sleep,” said Shivdevi. Villager Vimla Devi , 60, concurred. “The policemen threaten us that if they are unable to trace our men, they would arrest us instead,” she explained. 

Many women said they avoided going to the market or to collect their quote of ration, because of this reason. “Ration was distributed with the police in attendance,” informed Rajeshwari, an elderly woman. “They were standing ready with a photograph of the demonstration. Fearing arrests and intimidation, hardly four or five women took their share of ration.” 

Kusuma Devi, the sexagenarian gram pradhan, a person with disability, was injured when police broke open her door at night. “They ransacked the entire house — my boxes, almirah and the kitchen,” she alleged, and added that it looked like a larger conspiracy hatched by political opponents.

“If someone dies in a fellow villager’s family, is it a sin to share the grief?” questioned villager Sangita, pacifying the baby on her lap. “Those whose negligence cost a young boy his life are free, and we villagers are being treated as petty criminals.”

The investigating officer at Atrauli police station, Virendra Pratap Singh said: “A case has been filed under section 304 A against the junior engineer of Jakhwa Power Station by the uncle of the deceased.” The newly-appointed Superintendent of Police of Hardoi Anurag Vats told Gaon Connection that action would be taken against those responsible for the boy’s death. The other villagers have been booked for gathering in strength during COVID-19 lockdown, defying rules, he added. 

High Court advocate Anand Pratap Singh said the Constitution guarantees the right of every citizen to seek justice and express an opinion peacefully, and this harsh action against the villagers was oppressive. The villagers also appealed to Rajya Sabha MP (BJP) from Hardoi Ashok Vajpeyi. Vajpeyi told Gaon Connection: “This harassment is not justified. Under no circumstance will the villagers be deprived of justice. I’ve requested the police to withdraw the case.” 

But, what hurts people most of all is that because of the fallout of the protest, Lakshmi has not even been allowed to properly grieve her son.