Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will today visit Prayagraj where four members of a family were murdered yesterday in a shocking incident. A 16-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy were reportedly among the ones killed.
A relative of the family, belonging to a scheduled caste, has accused a neighbouring family of the members. The neighbouring family is allegedly of the so-called "upper cast". An FIR that was filed also mentioned that the girl might have been raped before being killed.
The bodies of the family, a 50-year-old man, his 45-year-old wife, and the two children were found on Thursday morning in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj. The police said that there were grievous injuries on the bodies suggesting the use of sharp weapons.
Three of the bodies were reportedly found together in the courtyard while the girl's body was found inside a room in the house.
Meanwhile, claiming that the family had been assaulted earlier in September, an extended family member told the media of an alleged land dispute with the "upper caste" family since 2019, adding that the police were instead trying to force a compromise.
The family member said, "The police were forcing the murder victims to compromise. Sushil Kumar (a police constable) used to come to us and pressure us to compromise. The police used to sit at their (accused) homes. The local inspector also told us to compromise. On September 21 the family was beaten up but an FIR was filed only after a week, and then a counter FIR was filed against the aggrieved family too, though they were the ones who got beaten up".
Saying that some people had been taken into custody for questioning, the Prayagraj police chief informed that an FIR with charges against 11 named persons had been registered on grounds of gang rape and murder.
Sarvashrestha Tripathi, the Prayagraj police chief said, "It appears all four were hit on the head with an axe. There are grievous injuries on the bodies of all four people. Initial information suggests that in 2019 and 2021 they had filed cases under the SC/ST Act against some people related to a land dispute. The family had alleged there was no headway in these cases. We will take strict action".
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with other Congress leaders are expected to visit the extended family members at around 3 pm in Prayagraj.
