Yogi govt faces backlash as SC woman killed, daughter abducted in Meerut

It is not unknown how strongly leaders, workers and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh project its Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a strict administrator, someone who is often credited with bringing the state’s law and order on track.

However, just like darkness beneath the lamp, a horrific incident in Kapsad village in UP’s Meerut district seemed to have exposed such claims. That apart, it also puts the Narendra Modi government’s much-vaunted “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” (Save the daughter, educate the daughter) slogan under serious scrutiny.

What happened in Kapsad

The incident, which would put the Adityanath government in a lot of discomfort, saw a woman belonging to a Scheduled Caste getting abducted by two men from a public place, and her mother being killed when she tried to resist. The accused stabbed her with a sharp weapon and took away her daughter, who Adityanath’s police is yet to track after three days.

Also read: 'Will shut down Akhilesh shop': Owaisi sets his eyes on Muslim votes in UP

The village was subsequently turned into a fortress with massive police deployment of more than 500 personnel, with every movement in and around coming under strict surveillance. The police even conducted a flag march in the area, keeping in view the case’s sensitivity and the local impact.

As the situation deteriorated, DIG Kalanidhi Naithani, District Magistrate (DM) Vijay Kumar, and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vipin Tada took charge themselves. The DM and the SSP arrived in the village around noon on Saturday (January 10) and remained there for two hours and spoke to the victim's family. Officials representing the administration also held five separate meetings with the family behind closed doors.

The heavy deployment of the uniformed personnel was also aimed at preventing the Opposition from displaying a chaotic protest.

Locals attack mother, daughter

The incident happened on Thursday (January 8). The deceased was walking with her daughter when the accused, Paras Som, Sunil, and some others, from the same village, approached them. They hit the elderly woman with an axe and took away her daughter who was scheduled to get married in April.

Also read: Woman gang-raped in moving vehicle in Faridabad; two nabbed

The mother was rushed to a hospital in nearby Modipuram but succumbed to her injuries. The local people erupted in anger after this, more so because the daughter’s whereabouts were yet to be known, and the accused were still not caught. Members of the bereaved family even refused to hold the mother’s cremation till the daughter returned home safely, and strict action was taken against the culprits. The mortal remains were kept at home on Friday (January 9).

Govt agrees to give family firearms licence

State authorities then offered the family financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh and also assured to give them a firearms license for security reasons. Besides, police personnel would also remain deployed in the village. It was only after these steps from the government’s side that the family conducted the last rites on Saturday (January 10). Her elder son performed the rituals.

The Opposition also stepped in to criticise the state’s BJP government over the issue. Leaders and supporters of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party, Bhim Army, and Azad Samaj Party protested along with the residents of Kapsad. SP leaders such as Atul Pradhan, an MLA, and Ramji Lal Suman, an MP, faced police resistance while trying to enter the village. Later, members of the fateful family cooperated with them to enter the village.

Akhilesh Yadav slams state govt

Party chief and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav lambasted the Adityanath government over the crime, saying in a post on X, “The BJP's governance and administration in UP have completely collapsed. The BJP is shielding the criminal. The bulldozer action stands as a mute spectator. The importance and honor of a mother and the sisters-daughters of a home—what that means—only someone with a family can understand, not a politician. Utterly condemnable!”

Also read: Rising religious violence signals collapse of moral restraint in India and South Asia

The murder-abduction case soon saw a political slugfest erupt even as the family grieved the death of the mother and the disappearance of the daughter.

The authorities left no stone unturned to stop the Opposition leaders from capitalising on the issue. Besides the heavy deployment of the law-keepers, barricades were erected two-and-a-half kilometres before the village’s limits. More than 500 police personnel, including those belonging to the ranks of SSP, SP Rural, SP Traffic, 20 inspectors, and 150 sub-inspectors, were deployed in the village. A team of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was also present.

MLA Atul Pradhan stopped

As tension peaked in the village from Saturday morning onwards and the police swung into action to turn it into a fortress, Opposition leaders, including Pradhan, Bhim Army leader Charan Singh, and those from the Congress, tried to reach the village. The police stopped them at the village border, and after nearly 19 hours of protests, the police promised in writing that the missing woman would be found within 48 hours. A family member would also be given permanent employment at the local sugar mill. Former BJP MLA Sangeet Som and top police officers, including SP Rural Abhijeet Kumar, were present.

Following this, the MLA and others sat on a dharna (protest) on the road outside the village. The situation remained tense throughout. At one point, it seemed as if the police might resort to a lathi charge, although that did not happen. The Samajwadi Party MLA said that a Scheduled Caste woman had been murdered and her daughter had been kidnapped. Had this been a case involving another community, bulldozer action would have already been taken.

Victim's family joins protest

After about an hour and a half of slogans and arguments, the murdered woman's husband and son also arrived and joined the dharna. The situation became so volatile that the police had to give way. After this, everyone went to the victim’s house.

The most emotional moment during the protest came when the sobbing son hugged Pradhan. He asked, "MLA sir, just tell me, will my sister ever come back?" The question brought tears to the eyes of everyone present there.

The family demanded that the kidnapped woman be rescued at the earliest and brought back home safely. It also sought that the main accused, Paras Som, and his accomplices be arrested immediately and that bulldozers be used to demolish their houses.

(The story was first published in The Federal Desh)