Woman found hanging with hands tied behind back in UP's Ballia; grandmother alleges foul play
Ballia (UP), Mar 23 (PTI): A 20-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree, her hands tied behind her back, in a village in the Nagra area early on Sunday, police here said, with her kin alleging foul play behind her death.
The woman's maternal grandmother said she was to get married on April 25.
"The condition of the body makes it clear that my granddaughter did not commit suicide. Many people are involved in this incident. I want justice. Strict action should be taken against the culprits," she said.
Superintendent of Police Omveer Singh said "prima facie, the case is related to a love affair" and added four teams had been formed to uncover the truth as soon as possible.
The opposition Samajwadi Party and the Congress attacked the BJP-led government, saying the incident exposed the reality of its claims about women's safety in the state.
Superintendent of Police Singh said the woman was alone at home for the past two days as her parents had gone to Lucknow for treatment.
Information about her body being found was relayed on the 112 helpline and Singh, along with other officers, and crime branch and surveillance teams, reached the spot.
The woman was found hanging six feet above the ground from a jamun tree, with her hands tied behind her back, he said.
Her brother is in Gujarat and her sister lives with her family in Assam. The nearest home in the area is 40-50 metres away.
The body has been sent for post-mortem and four teams of local police and surveillance, a circle officer from Rasra, and an additional superintendent of police have been assigned to investigate the case, Singh said.
The superintendent of police later told PTI that the woman's body was found six to seven feet away from her home.
Asked if she had been sexually assaulted, he said details would become clearer only after the post-mortem.
Attacking the state government, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress sought justice for the bereaved family.
In a post in Hindi on X, the Samajwadi Party said, "Daughters are becoming victims of the Adityanath government's failure! The body of a 17-year-old girl was found hanging from a tree in Ballia. Sisters and daughters are being murdered, raped and exploited every day under the BJP government. Is this the chief minister's 'zero tolerance'? Strictest action should be taken against the accused and justice delivered."
The Congress' state unit said such heart-wrenching incidents were happening with "sisters and daughters" every day under the BJP government.
"But Baba ji cannot see anything beyond the pleasure of his power!" it added, referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
