The family of the Dalit woman in Meerut who was killed allegedly by a group of upper caste men and whose daughter was abducted have alleged that police and the
BJP are trying to cut them off from the outside world and that the prime accused is receiving protection from the law enforcers.
“While Uttar Pradesh is known for the encounter killings of criminals, the police didn’t touch Paras Som (the main accused), who is a known offender in our village. There is no doubt in anybody’s mind that he killed my mother and abducted my sister. The police have put him in jail, but that is just an eyewash. While being taken to court on Tuesday, he was allowed to talk to the media and he falsely claimed that he is a minor. This is a serious conspiracy to let him off the hook,” the eldest brother of the now-rescued woman told reporters outside his village on Wednesday.
He said paramilitary forces had been positioned outside their home and the police had blocked all entry points to the village, adding that while this was ostensibly for the protection of the family, the actual motive was to prevent them from communicating with the outside world.
“The police have put up six CCTV cameras around our house and banned the entry of outsiders to the village. Initially, we thought it was for our security, but now we feel it is to block our communication channels,” the brother said.
Paras and his associates allegedly abducted the woman on the morning of January 8 after killing his mother with axes when they were going to their agricultural field.
Another brother of the abducted woman said: “Eyewitnesses have told us that Paras, his friend Sunil Som and two others were involved in the crime. The police have arrested Paras and Sunil but have not done anything to nab the two other unidentified criminals. And now the main accused is playing the age card on the suggestion of some politicians when the entire village knows he is 25 years old,” he told reporters over the phone.
The police had arrested Paras from Haridwar and rescued the woman on the night of January 10. She was sent back to her home after a magistrate recorded her statement.
While Paras was being taken to court on Tuesday, he told the media: “I am a minor and have documents to prove it. My Aadhaar card and school certificate will prove this.”
Viresh Raj Sharma, the jail superintendent of Meerut, said: “He has told us that he is a minor and should be sent to a child remand home. We have asked him to say all this in court.”
Ashutosh Kumar, the circle officer of Sardhana, said: “We have deployed forces in the village to maintain law and order. The main accused has not yet submitted any proof of him being a minor.”
Samajwadi Party leader and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who had sent ₹3 lakh for the family two days ago, said in Lucknow on Wednesday: “We are keeping a close eye on the developments and assure the victim’s family that we are with them at every step.”