Beaten at panchayat meet for speaking out,teenage girl sets herself on fire

Till date,the main accused Mohammad Aslam — husband of village pradhan Latiful Nisa who allegedly thrashed the girl in full public view — has not been arrested. “Despite knowing full details about the case,the police charged Aslam under milder sections of the IPC,” said the girl’s cousin.

The FIR,registered at Fatehpur on September 2,three days after the incident,charges Aslam under Sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace),506 (punishment for criminal intimidation),323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC and SC/ST Act.

The SP of Barabanki,RK Bhardwaj,today said they are “working” on charging Aslam under Section 306 of the IPC that entails abetment to suicide. “Police teams have been formed to trace Mohammad Aslam who is still missing,” he added.

According to police,the girl,who studies in Class XI,had given shelter to Rani Lodh,a married woman who had eloped with a resident of the village. This irked the villagers and a panchayat was called on August 29. The panchayat ordered Rani Lodh to leave the girl’s house. Aslam,the husband of the village pradhan,was also there. The girl’s mother said Rani told the panchayat that her husband used to beat her and wanted her belongings back. “When my daughter appealed to Aslam to help Rani get her belongings,he got incensed and admonished her for interfering,” said the mother,quoting what she had been told by locals.

Aslam then beat her and banged her head against a thrasher,she said,adding he also threatened to shoot her. She saw her daughter return to the house with bruises on her face. After she left for work,she came to know her daughter had set herself ablaze in a field nearby.