Kanpur Demolition: Day after woman, daughter’s death, 2 held; SDM, cops booked for murder

Relatives and family members of the mother-daughter duo who allegedly died after they immolated themselves during an anti-encroachment drive on Monday, sit on ‘dharna’, in Kanpur Dehat district. (PTI)

On a complaint lodged by Pramila’s son, Shivam, police registered the FIR under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 436 (mischief by fire with intent to destroy house, etc), 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 34 (act done by common persons).

In his complaint, Shivam claimed that 22 goats owned by the family were killed in the fire.

Among the eight named in the FIR are local SHO Dinesh Kumar Gautam and four residents of the village – Ashok Dixit, Anil Dixit, Nirmal Dixit, Vishal. The FIR has also been lodged against three unidentified lekhpals, revenue officers and policemen.

“Two persons, including the lekhpal and the JCB driver have been arrested. The role of other accused is being probed,” said Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) B B G T S Murti.

Heavy security in Kanpur Dehat’s Madauli village . (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Meanwhile, the district administration has placed SDM (Maitha) Gyaneshwar Prasad and lekhpal Singh under suspension.

Earlier in the day, the Dixit family and the residents of the village refused to allow post-mortem of the bodies, demanding action against officials. They also demanded Rs 1 crore compensation, land, and a government job for a family member. As the protests continued, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak intervened and spoke with the family through video call.

“The deputy CM listened patiently to our grievances and demands. He assured to look into them and provide all possible help. I am satisfied with the government’s assurance and therefore ending our protest,” said 29-year-old Shivam Dixit, who works as a farmer. Kanpur Divisional Commissioner Raj Shekhar said the administration was providing all possible help to the family of the deceased, including a police gunner for protection.

Shivam alleged that on Monday, a team of district administration led by the SDM arrived with a bulldozer in tow. “My parents were sleeping inside the house. They demolished the house without informing us and set it on fire. I somehow managed to come out of the house. The policemen caught me and beat me up. They were trying to push me inside the burning house. My father was severely burnt, while my mother and sister died in the fire,” he alleged.District Magistrate (Kanpur Dehat) Neha Jain denied the charges.

According to an official, a team of officials and police reached the village on Monday to reclaim the gram sabha land allegedly encroached upon by Pramila’s husband, Krishna Gopal Dixit. It was alleged that Dixit built a hut on the encroached land and placed a religious structure outside it. “When the official team and police were busy removing the encroachment, Pramila went inside the hut and locked it from inside. A few minutes later, we spotted flames emanating out of the hut. Our team managed to rescue Krishna Gopal and his son Shivam. A police official also suffered minor burn injuries while trying to save them,” said the official.