UP: 8-year old raped, murdered; cops try to hush up the matter

One more case of kidnapping, rape and subsequent murder of an 8-year-old girl has emerged in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. Questions are being raised about the role of the police in this case, because they forced the parents of the girl to perform her last rites.

Although all of Uttar Pradesh is in a state of lawlessness, the situation Lucknow is particularly bad. It has been besieged by criminals. Almost every day, incidents of murder, rape, robbing, snatching are reported. The case of the murder of two brothers in the Thakur Ganj area of old Lucknow was still fresh in the memory when people were shaken by another ghastly case of kidnapping, suspected rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl.

The girl went missing on Friday, October 26. The same night the family went to Thakur Ganj police station to file the report, where the police allegedly asked for a bribe to file it. The girl’s father who earns his living by selling fruits could not pay the bribe money so, the police did not register his report. The next morning a girl’s body was found in the bushes. The police were immediately informed about it. As soon as the body was recovered, the police began the process of hushing up the matter.

Not only this, the police put pressure on the parents of the girl to bury the girl as soon as possible. Subsequently the girl was buried by her parents that night only.

People who gathered around their house allege that local leaders present outside building where the post-mortem was conducted, put pressure on the parents to perform the girl’s last rites soon. According to sources, the police officials themselves bathed the girl’s dead body, wrapped it in an unstitched shroud and made the parents bury the body.

The question being raised is why were the police and local leaders in a hurry to perform the last rites.

Activists of several social organisations held a protest in Hussainabad to protest the killing and they also surrounded the Thakur Ganj police station. The Police have been stating that they would investigate the cases and the culprits would be put behind bars immediately. However, the claim of the police doesn’t seem to be true because the parents of the victim are extremely scared to talk and haven’t said anything.