UP orders magisterial probe into Kanpur women deaths, forms SIT
While the magisterial inquiry will be conducted by Kanpur Dehat District Magistrate Neha Jain, the two-member SIT will comprise Kanpur Divisional Commissioner Raj Shekhar and Additional Director General (Kanpur Zone) Alok Singh.
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Congress workers protest over Kanpur self immolation case in Lucknow on wednesday. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav) Two days after a 45-year-woman and her 22-year-old daughter were burnt to death during an anti-encroachment drive at Madauli village in Kanpur Dehat district, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the deaths and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
“The Kanpur incident is tragic. An SIT team is already looking into it. I have also ordered a magisterial probe into it,” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweeted a video clip on Wednesday.
“The matter is sensitive and the truth of the incident will come before people in a transparent manner,” he added, according to a PTI report.
While the magisterial inquiry will be conducted by Kanpur Dehat District Magistrate Neha Jain, the two-member SIT will comprise Kanpur Divisional Commissioner Raj Shekhar and Additional Director General (Kanpur Zone) Alok Singh.
“Besides the SIT and the magisterial inquiry, the local police is also investigating the incident and have filed an FIR based on the complaint lodged by the women’s family,” said DM Jain.
On Tuesday, police registered a murder FIR against 39 people, including sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), lekhpal (revenue officer) and the station house officer of the local police station, and arrested two persons – lekhpal Ashok Singh and the driver of the bulldozer Deepak.
While the women’s family claimed that officials set fire to their thatched house on Monday causing the death of Pramila Dixit and her daughter Neha, the district administration denied the charge and instead claimed that the two women set fire to their hut after locking it from inside.
The family has also accused DM Jain of harassing them and demanded action against her.
On Tuesday, the final rites of Pramila Dixit (45) and her daughter were conducted amid heavy security in Kanpur’s Bithoor. Several senior administrative and police officials were present during the last rites. Several senior administrative and police officials were present during the last rites.
On Monday, a team of district administration and police had gone to Madauli village to remove alleged illegal encroachments when the thatched hut of the Dixit family caught fire and the two women were charred to death. Pramila’s husband, Krishna Gopal Dixit, also suffered serious burn injuries and is currently admitted to a hospital. In his complaint, Pramila’s son Shivam had also claimed that 22 goats owned by the family were also killed in the fire.
A forensic team reached the spot and collected remains from the incident site. SP (Kanpur Dehat) B B G T S Murthy said the forensic team orally told him that they did not find any remains of goats at the site.
Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati hit out at the BJP government, saying “the government’s bulldozer policy is taking the lives of innocent poor people”.
“In a big state like Uttar Pradesh plagued by poverty, unemployment, inflation and backwardness, the BJP government’s bulldozers policy is now taking the lives of innocent poor people. This is very sad and condemnable. The government should change its anti-people attitude,” she tweeted in Hindi, adding the Kanpur Dehat incident garnered more attention than Global Investors Summit.
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