Lakhimpur Kheri, September 15: The two Dalit teenage sisters were kidnapped , raped and found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field located about a kilometre away from their house in the Nighasan police station limits in Lakhimpur Kheri of Indian state Utter Pardash on Wednesday, police said.
The bodies of two minor sisters, belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, were found hanging from a tree in Lalpur Majra Tamoli Purva village under the Nighasan police station of Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday evening.
Local villagers and the girls' family marched a protest and blocked the road demanding justice for the victims.
The family of the victim has accused three men of rape and murder and staged a demonstration at the Nighasan crossing, a few kilometres from the village.
Lakhimpur Kheri superintendent of police (SP) Sanjiv Suman, along with the police force, rushed to the protest site and assured villagers that strict action will be taken against the accused.
Lucknow range inspector general (IG) of police Laxmi Singh, while talking to ANI, said, "Dead bodies of two girls were found hanging from a tree in a field outside a village in Lakhimpur Kheri. No injuries were found on the bodies."
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem and reports are awaited.
"Other things to be ascertained after post-mortem. We'll try to expedite the probe," IG further said.
Meanwhile, following the matter, Congress has questioned the law and order in the state.
Expressing her grief over the incident, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the state government and said, "The incident of murder of two sisters in Lakhimpur (UP) is heart-wrenching.
The relatives say that those girls were abducted in broad daylight. Giving false advertisements in newspapers and TV every day does not improve law and order. After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in UP?" However, more information on the matter is awaited.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the BJP over the kidnapping and murder of two Dalit girls in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri, saying women's security cannot be expected from those facilitating the release of rapists.
"The kidnapping and murder of two minor Dalit sisters in Lakhimpur in broad daylight is a very disturbing incident," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
"Women's safety cannot be expected from those facilitating the release of rapists and welcoming them," the former Congress chief said in an apparent reference to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case being set free last month from the Godhra sub-jail after the BJP-led Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy.
Gandhi stressed on the need for creating a safe environment in the country for women.
As soon as the news about the alleged murder of the Dalit girls broke, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over "increasing" crimes against women in the state.
"The killings of two sisters in Lakhimpur (UP) are heart-wrenching. The relatives say that the girls were abducted in broad daylight," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
"Giving false advertisements in newspapers and television every day does not improve law and order. After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in Uttar Pradesh?" the Congress general secretary said.
When the government will wake up, she asked.