Rape, murder of Dalit sisters in Lakhimpur Kheri: SIT files chargesheet in 14 days, court to hear case daily

To fast-track the case, police said the court has also listed the case for day-to-day hearing. “The court today took cognizance of the chargesheet,” Circle Officer (Kheri) Sanjay Nath Tiwari, who is heading the SIT, said.

The chargesheet against the six arrested accused – Junaid, Suhail, Hafizur Rehman, Chhote,  Karimuddin and Chhotu Gautam, all in their early 20s – has been filed under various sections of the IPC, including 376D (gangrape), 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence), police said, adding they have also been charged filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The bodies of two minor sisters, aged 17 and 15, were found hanging from a tree in Nighasan area of the Lakhimpur Kheri district on September 14. Family members of the girls said they were “abducted” from outside the house three hours prior to their bodies were spotted.

Police said the accused raped and strangled the two girls before hanging their bodies from a tree to make it appear like suicide.

“Charges are likely to be framed against the accused by the court tomorrow (Friday),” said Additional Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Singh, adding they have requested the forensic science laboratory to provide the pending reports connected with the case.

Chhotu Gautam was the first to be detained by the police. Based on the information shared by him, police arrested the other five accused. “It has been found that Junaid and Suhail raped the girls, while Hafizur stood guard. Later, the girls got into an argument with Junaid and Suhail as the two refused to marry them. The argument took an ugly turn when Suhail and Rehman strangulated them” a police officer had said.

“Chhote and Karimuddin are accused of helping in destruction of evidence,” police had said.

Since Chhotu was not present at the spot, police had said that he would be booked for criminal conspiracy.