Murder case filed after mother-daughter die in fire during demolition drive in UP

On Monday, a 45-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter died in a fire in a village in the Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh during an anti-encroachment drive.

The family of the victims claimed that the police officers set their hut on fire while the two women were inside.

Local police officials stated that the two women set themselves ablaze, but the state police have now filed a murder case against 13 individuals, including the subdivisional magistrate, the station house officer, and the bulldozer operator. The accused have also been charged with attempt to murder and causing hurt.

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As per a police official, the episode occurred in the Rura region’s Madauli village, where law enforcement, revenue, and district administration had visited to evacuate encroachments from a government land or “gram samaj.”

According to the villagers, the officials came in the morning with a bulldozer without any prior notice.

A villager, Shivam Dixit claimed that the officials started the fire while the people were still present inside, and they barely managed to escape. The officials also destroyed their temple, but no one, including the District Magistrate, intervened to assist them.

According to the police, on the other hand, Pramila Dixit and her daughter Neha set themselves on fire. A police officer stated that Station House Officer Dinesh Gautam and Pramila’s husband, Gendan Lal, received burn injuries while attempting to rescue the victims.

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Superintendent of Police (SP) BBGTS Murthy stated that as per initial information, a woman and her daughter locked themselves inside the hut and set it on fire, leading to their demise. He added that all the relevant authorities, including himself, have reached the location and would conduct an investigation, and anyone responsible for any malpractice will be held accountable.

The SP further mentioned that during anti-encroachment drives, videos are usually captured, and he has requested the same to be presented for examination.

After the incident, tensions between the villagers and the police escalated, and the villagers threw bricks at the police, who left the scene. They are now calling for a First Information Report (FIR) to be filed against several people, including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Maitha) Gyaneshwar Prasad and Lekhpal Singh, for the alleged murder.

In an attempt to calm the situation, Additional Director General of Police (Kanpur zone) Alok Singh, accompanied by Divisional Commissioner Raj Shekhar, visited the village. The officials have promised to take action against anyone found responsible, and an inquiry has been initiated.

भाजपा ने बुलडोज़र को अपनी ग़ैरक़ानूनी ताक़त दिखाने का प्रतीक बना लिया है!

कानपुर देहात में SDM और लेखपाल ने गरीब परिवार का घर बुलडोजर से किया ध्वस्त, आग लगने के कारण मां बेटी की जिंदा जलकर हुई मौत।

इस दिल दहला देने वाली वारदात से पूरा प्रदेश स्तब्ध है।
दोषियों को मिले सख्त सजा। pic.twitter.com/T42P7UUZp0

— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) February 14, 2023

The Samajwadi Party has accused the administration of being “insensitive” and responsible for the “murders”.

The opposition party tweeted in Hindi that under the Yogi (Adityanath) government, Brahmin families are being targeted, and incidents like these are happening selectively. They added that like Dalits and backwards, Brahmins are also facing atrocities under the Yogi government.