Meerut murder-abduction: Family refuses to perform last rites, demand safe return of daughter

Meerut (UP), Jan 9 (PTI) Grief simmered in Kapsad village in Sardhana area here on Friday following the murder of a Dalit woman and the alleged abduction of her daughter, even as a heavy police force has been deployed to maintain law and order, officials said.

The family of the deceased refused to perform the last rites late into the evening, demanding arrest of the accused and strict action against alleged illegal constructions by them in the area, and seeking safe recovery of the missing daughter.

Senior officials, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vipin Tada, were present at the site, and talks with the family and villagers went on for several hours without any resolution.

The SSP said a case under stringent provisions has been registered against two accused based on the family's complaint. "More than ten police teams are working across districts to apprehend the accused and ensure the girl's safe recovery. Both hail from the same village. We are acting swiftly on all leads," he said.

According to police, the incident took place on Thursday morning when Sunita Jatav and her 20-year-old daughter were allegedly stopped in the nearby fields by the accused, identified as Paras, who struck the mother with a sugarcane sickle before abducting the daughter.

Villagers alerted the family, and the injured woman was rushed to hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries during treatment.

Her body was handed over to the family after a postmortem examination, which was videographed, police said.

The case has drawn political attention, with Uttar Pradesh minister Dharmapal Singh directing officials to conduct a thorough investigation and take strict action.

Samajwadi Party workers protested at Commissary Park, demanding the girl's safe recovery and arrest of the accused, leading to minor scuffles with police.

Former minister Sanjeev Balyan, MLA Atul Pradhan, ex-MLA Yogesh Verma, and former Uttar Pradesh SC/ST Commission Vice-Chair Mukesh Siddharth on Friday visited the village and assured the family of justice. PTI COR CDN ARB ARB