Four members of a family, including a 16-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, were found murdered at their home in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Thursday morning. The bodies of a 50-year-old man, his 45-year-old wife, and their children were found at their home. The girl's body was found in a room inside the house, while the other three bodies were found together in the courtyard.
Relatives of the girl's family, which belongs to a Scheduled Caste, claim she was raped before her death and accuse a neighbouring family, which belongs to the so-called "upper caste," of the crime.
"It appears all four were hit on the head with an axe. There are grievous injuries on the bodies. Initial information suggests that in 2019 and 2021 they had filed cases under the SC/ST Act against some people related to a land dispute. The family alleged there was no headway in these cases. We will take strict action," Sarvashrestha Tripathi, the Prayagraj police chief, said in a video statement.
Police have registered an FIR with charges including gang rape and murder against 11 named persons.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is the party's in-charge for the state, which votes in an Assembly election next year, is due to visit Prayagraj at 3 pm, and is expected to meet with the family members of those killed.
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