Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — 40-year-old Sajid was burnt alive after he refused to withdraw FIR registered against former head of the village Bhola Yadav under the charges of gangrape and abduction of his wife in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri district.
On Tuesday, the charred body of Sajid, which is beyond recognition, was found in the fields, two days before the court was set to hear the case. According to reports, the deceased was burnt alive after pouring diesel. He had been called and assaulted allegedly by the henchmen of Yadav.
Ashiq Ali, father of Sajid, blamed Yadav for the brutal murder citing the gangrape and abduction case against the former village head.
“What should I desire now? I want to die. My son has been killed. What will I do by remaining alive,” said Ashiq while wailing in front of the reporters.
“My son’s body was burnt so that his identity could not be ascertained. A case regarding the gang rape of his wife is already in court. The accused men were pressurising us to settle outside court. The former village head also offered money to withdraw the case, but we refused,” he added.
Talking about the rape incident, Sajid’s wife said she was raped in June 2022 after calling her at his house on the pretext of cooking a meal.
“The village head had called me to his place on the pretext of cooking a meal and raped me along with his two associates. It was in June 2022. The next day, when I was going to the police station to file a complaint, he kidnapped me and kept me captive at his house for four months and 10 days. We filed a case against him is in the local court. He was pressuring my husband to settle, but we refused. He has also been threatening to kill my brother,” she was quoted by Times of India as saying.
She was let off by the abductors after repeated pleading from her husband and family.
Ashiq said that he had complained with the local police about the abduction but no one paid attention to his complain. Then, he came to the city police with his complaint. Then, his daughter-in law was freed.
Mahendra Bhardwaj, who is counsel for Sajid’s wife in rape case, said that the FIR was filed under the charges of rape and kidnapping. But later, the rape charge was removed from the FIR. However, the court ordered to add the gangrape section in the FIR after the counsel protested. The case is still on.
Regarding the murder, Mainpuri ASP Rahul Mithas said, “The body was sent for autopsy soon after it was found. A thorough investigation is underway, and necessary action will be taken accordingly.”
