Prayagraj killings: TMC team meets kin, says 2 victims were sexually assaulted

Kolkata: Determined to ensure justice to victims of the brutal incident at Prayagraj where five members of a family were murdered and set ablaze a fact-finding team of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) visited the crime spot, where five members of a family were murdered and set ablaze, and alleged that the accused had sexually assaulted two women before setting the house on fire.

The five-member team—comprising Dola Sen, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP (leader of the team), Mamata Bala Thakur former Trinamool MP, Jyotsna Mandi, Saket Gokhale and Lalitesh Tripathi—introducing Sunil Yadav, who lost his family members, including his infant daughter—said that "allegedly the UP police had refused to acknowledge that the victims were raped." The relatives of the victims demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident and alleged that the police had refused to register rape charges. They also informed the TMC delegation that the deceased women were beaten, tortured and raped before killing.

"His parents, differently-abled sister, wife and infant daughter were brutally murdered. Before the house was set on fire, his wife and sister were sexually assaulted," said Dola Sen, adding: "The incident bears testimony to the critical law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh under the BJP's double engine government.''

Sen said: "The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should look into the law and order situation of Uttar Pradesh which is fast deteriorating."

Later in the day, Trinamool Congress tweeted: "Hear from the family member of #Prayagraj incident...UP police allegedly refused to acknowledge that victims were raped."

The tweet also read: "VICTIMS WERE ALLEGEDLY RAPED AND BURNT. SHOCKING state of law and order in @BJP4India ruled Uttar Pradesh! @India_NHRC ARE YOU SLEEPING?"

Talking to newsmen at Varanasi airport, Sen alleged that the silence on the part of the Prime Minister and Home minister in the matter where a most heinous crime had been committed is "not only unfortunate but uncalled for". "The BJP is interested in sending a national Human Right Commission team in Bengal whenever any incident takes place. Where is the team now? Are the team members sleeping or are they waiting for the instruction from BJP. The BJP has converted every institution into their party offices and all of them have lost impartiality," said Sen in an apparent dig at the saffron party that had sent a fact-finding team to Bengal after the Bogtui incident.

The relatives of the victim burst into tears when the fact-finding team reached the crime spot. The team members tried to comfort them and assured them that Trinamool will be by their side till those involved in the matter are brought to book. The team members could not hold their tears when the family members were narrating the incident.

Sen said that the fact-finding team would give a report to party chairperson Mamata Banerjee.

In the spine-chilling incident, five members of a family were found dead inside their home in Prayagraj. The police suspect that they were all attacked and killed with a sharp-edged weapon. It has also been reported that the house was set on fire after the crime. Rajkumar (55), his wife Kusum (50), daughter Manisha (25), daughter-in-law Savita (30) and granddaughter Mitakshi (2) were found dead in their house under Tharwai police station.