A 22-year-old Dalit woman was found murdered in a canal near a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. Her family has made horrifying claims, stating that her eyes were violently removed, her body had broken bones, and her limbs were tightly bound with rope.
The woman had been missing since Thursday night after she left home around 10 p.m. to attend a religious event. When she did not return, her family searched the village and later filed a missing person report at the Ayodhya police station on Friday. However, they alleged that the police did not actively search for her.
On Saturday morning, her brother-in-law discovered her unclothed body in a deserted canal. According to the family and villagers who retrieved her, she had deep wounds, severe injuries to her skull, and a fractured leg.
Circle Officer Ashutosh Tiwari confirmed that a missing complaint had been filed. “Now that the body has been recovered, we are awaiting the autopsy report. Further action will be taken accordingly,” he said.
Authorities suspect that the woman was gang-raped before being murdered. The gruesome nature of the crime has sparked outrage, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav condemning the incident.
“This is a result of administrative negligence,” Yadav stated. “Strict action should be taken against the culprits and the negligent police officers. The victim’s family must be given ₹1 crore as compensation.”
Ayodhya SP MP Awadhesh Prasad visited the family to offer support. Meanwhile, the police have assured that an investigation is underway to bring the perpetrators to justice.