Unnao: Two girls found dead, third critical; police register murder case

Unnao (UP): Police on Thursday registered a case of murder into the deaths of two teenage girls whose bodies were found in a field here even as a post-mortem revealed no injury marks. A third girl, who is on ventilator support at a Kanpur hospital, is being treated for suspected poisoning. Civil societies have demanded that the third minor be airlifted to Delhi's All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The Uttar Pradesh human rights body has taken note of the incident at Babuhara village in Asoha — around 36 km south of Lucknow — in Unnao district on Wednesday evening and political parties slammed the Yogi Adityanath government over it. Police force have been deployed in the village as many people are sitting on dharna. Family members of the victims and villagers are demanding a CBI probe into the matter.

Although the cause of death could not be immediately ascertained in the post-mortem, samples from the girls' viscera have been preserved for further examination, police said.

Police ruled out the suggestion that the victims' hands were tied, citing the absence of any injury marks.

Apart from Section 302 (murder), the FIR also lists Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code, related to causing disappearance of evidence.

The FIR mentioning the two sections was lodged on the basis of the family's

complaint.

The three girls, aged 15, 14 and 16, were found in a field by the villagers when they did not return after leaving their house to take fodder for cattle, police had

said.

The villagers rushed the teenagers, who are related, to a hospital, where two of them were declared brought dead. The other girl was rushed to a district hospital and later referred to a Kanpur healthcare facility, according to police.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a serious note of the incident and sought a detailed report from the director general of police (DGP). He has directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the teenager, according to a

spokesperson.

DGP Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said six police teams had been constituted and senior officials were supervising the probe.

A medical bulletin by the Kanpur hospital treating the third girl has noted that it was a suspected case of poisoning, the officer said.

Earlier, Unnao Superintendent of Police Anand Kulkarni said there was a contradiction in the statements of the mother and brother of the girls. He added that the brother had said the girls were tied with a stole, while her mother said on Thursday that it was around her neck.

"Our investigation has found that bodies had no marks on them either in the hands or legs, suggesting that they were not tied, the

SP said.

Kulkarni said the family members who were the first ones to reach the spot were being questioned.

Asked if an FIR had been lodged, the SP said the matter was being investigated and action would be taken on the basis of the post mortem report, which was conducted by a panel of three doctors and being

recorded.

On speculation about it being a case of honour killing, the officer said all aspects would be included in the probe, adding that it would not be right to say anything on it at the

moment.

Taking suo-motu cognisance, the Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission sought a report from the SP within two weeks, commission member K P Singh

said.