Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday directed officials to impose the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against the man arrested for allegedly raping and killing an 18-year-old girl in a Lakhimpur Kheri village.
The Chief Minister has also extended an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family and told them that the state government would get the case heard in a fast-track court to ensure that the guilty are punished at the earliest, a government spokesperson said.
According to the police, the accused, identified only as Dilshad in mid-20s, confessed to the crime. Police said Dilshad followed her and admitted that during a heated argument later, he raped her and then slit her throat.
The body of the girl, a student of Class X, was found in a dry pond near her village on Tuesday. She had left her house on August 24 to fill an online form for scholarship.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday sent a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the state’s police chief over the incident.
The NHRC in a statement observed that apparently, people with criminal intent have no fear and respect for law, and innocent women, particularly from the vulnerable classes of the society are easily targeted by them.
“The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that the Dalit girl was found raped and murdered in Lakhimpur Kheri after she stepped out to fill a scholarship form online as she did not have internet access at home,” the rights body said.
“This is the duty of the state to make a fearless environment for its citizens so that they can live with respect and dignity,” the NHRC statement said.