Two minor Dalit girls were declared brought dead in hospital and another was in a serious condition after they were found in an unconscious state in a field in a village in Asoha block of Unnao district in eastern Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, police said.
The girls were found in the field in the evening by villagers when they didn’t return after they left home to collect fodder for the cattle, local sources said.
Superintendent of Police Sureshrao A. Kulkarni told reporters that “ prima facie , it seemed like a case of poisoning, as froth was coming out from their mouths. The cause of the deaths will be clear from post-mortem report.”
Chief Medical Superintendent of Unnao District Hospital Basant Bhatt told reporters, “Clinically, it appeared like a case of organo phosphorous poisoning. The chemical is used in insecticides. Froth was coming out of her mouth and she was gasping for breath. We have intubated her to take water out of lungs.”
Videos make claims
However, videos have emerged where family members could be heard making conflicting claims about the condition in which the girls were found in the field. In one video, the brother of the girl who is struggling for life could be heard saying the victims were found with their limbs tied with their stoles. It made locals question how victims could consume poison if their hands were tied. In another video, the mother of the girl could be heard saying that the hands were not tied and didn’t express doubt on anybody.
ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar said the victim had been referred to Kanpur at the request of the Unnao district hospital for better treatment. “The post-mortem of two others is being conducted. Senior officials were on the ground. The investigation was being conducted and inputs taken from the family,” he stated.
Police sources said policemen from nine police stations were camping in the village. Enraged locals said they would dig the grave themselves and asked the administration not to use an earthmover for the purpose. Local sources said officials had agreed to the demand.
Opposition demand
The Opposition was quick to react and described it as yet another example of the deteriorating law and order situation in the State.
Chandrashekhar Azad of the Bhim Army said women were not safe in the State and demanded the survivor to be referred to the AIIMS, Delhi. “One of our teams has already reached the spot and I have been told the administration is putting pressure on the families of the victims. I appeal to the Chief Minister to wake up and take note of the incident,” he added.
Taking note of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the Director General of Police to submit a detailed report on the incident, an official release said. He had directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment to the victim at government cost, it added.
