Protests erupt over murder of teenage girl in Aligarh

The body of a 16-year-old Dalit girl was found in a field in the Akrabad area in Uttar Pradesh, following which villagers clashed with police and indulged in stone-pelting.

Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh):The villagers in the Akrabad area in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh clashed with police and indulged in stone-pelting after the body of a missing 16-year-old Dalit girl was found in a field, police said on Monday.

The teenage girl was living in her maternal home for the past ten years. On Sunday afternoon the girl had gone to the fields to collect fodder for cattle but did not return.

Later, her body was found in a field when her family members started searching for her, they said.

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The villagers staged a protest, torching police vehicles and did not allow the officials to retrieve the body unless the accused were brought to justice.

Police said prima facie it appeared that she was strangled. The villagers are however also suspecting of the rape.

As the news spread, irate villagers pelted stones at a police party, which was trying to take the body for post-mortem, they said.

Inspector Pranendra Kumar was injured in the attack, police added.

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Senior Superintendent of Police Muniraj G told reporters late Sunday night that senior police officials rushed to the spot and pacified the villagers who then handed over the body to policemen.

He said allegations that the victim was sexually assaulted are being probed. Everything will be clear when the post-mortem report is received, the SP added.

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