NSA against man for rape-murder

BAREILLY: A day after a TOI report on the rape and murder of an 18-year-old Dalit girl in a UP town, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of the case. Hours before that, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for the family and ordered stringent NSA provisions against the accused.
“The Commission has issued notices to the chief secretary and DGP, UP, calling for a detailed report in the matter within 4 weeks. The report must mention the status of the statutory relief and any other assistance provided by the state government to the family of the victim,” the NHRC statement issued on Thursday said.
Police had on Wednesday arrested a man, Dilshad Ali, who, according to the cops, had confessed to raping and killing the girl because she had refused to marry him. Yogi on Thursday said the man will be tried under the National Security Act (NSA), which allows the government to detain a suspect for 12 months without any charges, and the trial will be conducted in a fast track court. Police had charged him with murder, rape and sections of the stringent SC/ST Act.
“After receiving instructions from the CM, we will take steps to slap NSA against the accused and ensure a fast trial. A compensation of Rs 5 lakh will be granted to her family in addition to the Rs 8.25 lakh under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” Kheri district magistrate Shailendra Singh told TOI.
The girl, from Kheri’s Behjam town, had been the only one in her family to study up to Class X. In fact, she was out to fill the form for an SC scholarship for the next academic session, which entitled her to a small stipend of Rs 2,200 a year, on Monday. She never made it back. The next day, her body was found near a pond in Kheri’s Neemgaon area, strangled, eaten up in parts by wild animals. Her handbag and mobile were found, as was a blood-stained knife. That evening, the accused was detained for questioning. He belongs to a minority community — the police said they were afraid of “communal tension” and have stationed cops outside his house.
The girl’s family, however, is not convinced. Her father said, “We still can’t believe just one person could have committed the crime. We strongly believe someone else was involved. We will take this up with higher authorities to ensure justice for my daughter.”