Rape, murder of Dalit sisters:Charges framed against all six accused

The Pocso court in Lakhimpur Kheri on Friday framed charges against all the six accused of the murder and rape of two Dalit sisters on September 14, which had triggered nationwide outrage, said special public prosecutor (SPP) (Pocso) Brijesh Pandey.

Special judge Mohan Kumar has ordered recording of the complainant’s statement on Monday, Pandey added.

The Kheri police on Wednesday filed a charge sheet in the special Pocso court against the six accused—Junaid, Suhail, Hafizurrahman, Chhotu alias Sunil, Chhote alias Arif and Karimuddin, under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376-D (gang-rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 452 (house trespass) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) along with relevant sections of the POCSO and ST/SC Acts, Pandey said.

On September 14, two Dalit sisters, aged 15 and 17 years, were allegedly raped and strangulated to death, at a village under Nighasan police station limits. The accused then hung their bodies from a tree and fled.