Police protection off, siblings on the run from mom146;s killers

For the last six months, eight-year-old Shivani and her seven-year-old brother Sanskar have been on the run.

For the last six months, eight-year-old Shivani and her seven-year-old brother Sanskar have been on the run. They had witnessed the murder of their mother who was killed in a property dispute. But the police have now withdrawn their security, leaving them exposed to the threat from their mother8217;s killers.

The children are being taken care of by their cousin Somesh Kumar. He keeps changing the location of the children to protect them. They are scared of going to their own home at Char Bagh ever since the security was withdrawn last January.

8220;Two constables were deployed at the house. They were withdrawn a day before Moharrum as the police station needed more men to make arrangements in view of the festival,8221; said prosecution counsel Akhilesh Awasthi. 8220;The case is sensitive as the children had identified the killers in front of the magistrate. Later, the court rejected the bail application of the five accused,8221; he added.

8220;We can8217;t provide anyone permanent security without a directive from the state Government. The local beat in-charge and constables have been asked to regularly check on them,8221; said Superintendent of Police West Paresh Pandey.

Meena Sonkar was killed on December 18 last year at her home. Her husband, who had a serious kidney problem, died the next day.

Ironically, Meena had written to various police authorities about the threat to her life a week before she was killed, but they did not pay attention. Now her children have been left unprotected.

The children had identified Mayur Sonkar, Manish Sonkar, Ram Babu, Mayank Sonkar and Sabli Sonkar, who were arrested for the crime and sent to jail. Now the associates of these men are after the life of the children. Not only are they eyewitnesses to the crime, they also inherit the property which was the subject of the dispute.

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8220;The children are leading a traumatic life as the associates of the accused have been threatening them to retract their statement,8221; said Somesh, 8220;besides, they are losing on education. I have just changed their school.8221;

Somesh said he had written several times to the DGP, the SSP of Lucknow and the Human Rights Commission to arrange security for them but to no avail.