Ayodhya (UP):
Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad broke down during a press meet today and said he would resign from Lok Sabha if the family of a 22-year-old Dalit woman, found raped and murdered near Ayodhya, did not get justice. Ayodhya is part of the Faizabad parliamentary constituency.
A video of the press meet that is now viral shows the Faizabad MP crying and others consoling him. “Let me go to Delhi. I will raise this matter in Lok Sabha before (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. I will resign from Lok Sabha if we do not get justice. We are failing to save daughters. How will history judge us? How did this happen to our daughter,” the Samajwadi Party MP is heard saying. “Maryada Purushottam Ram, Mother Sita, where are you?” As he keeps saying he would resign, others say he has to ensure justice for the victim.
The chilling crime occurred days ahead of the bypoll in the Milkipur Assembly segment in Ayodhya. Mr Prasad vacated the seat after being elected to Lok Sabha. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav are leading the BJP and SP campaigns, respectively and the rape-murder is sure to be a key talking point in the run-up to the February 5 election.
The 22-year-old rape-murder victim’s body was found in a canal in Ayodhya district yesterday. She had gone to a religious gathering on Thursday night but did not return home. The family members have alleged that when they approached police, they were told to look for the woman on their own.
The family members have alleged that the body was not clothed and that the victim’s eyes were missing. There were marks of serious injury on the body and the limbs were tied with ropes, they said.
Police have said they were investigating the matter. Circle Officer Ashutosh Tiwari said police had registered a missing complaint after the family filed a complaint Friday.
The body has been sent for autopsy and the result will determine the further course of action. “Once we receive the post-mortem findings, we will proceed accordingly,” he told news agency PTI.
The victim’s relatives said she had gone to Bhagavad Katha, but did not return home. “We found her body in the canal, unclothed and tied with ropes. Her bones were broken. She has been killed mercilessly,” a relative said.
