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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Hyderabad, Aug 13 (PTI): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday dismissed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's "threats" over the Indus Water Treaty, saying they would not have any impact on India.

Speaking to reporters here, Owaisi also said the BrahMos missile is India’s answer to Pakistan.

“You (Sharif) are the Prime Minister of a country… You are using such a language that it will not have any impact on us. The (Indian) government has kept the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance. Instead of showing some change, you are threatening. Threats will not have any impact on India. Enough of it,” he said, in response to a query on the remarks of Sharif, its army chief Asim Munir and other leaders on the treaty.

Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said India would not be allowed to snatch "even one drop" of water belonging to Pakistan, amid tensions between the two neighbours.

A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 in "abeyance".

On Special Intensive Revision undertaken by the Election Commission in Bihar, the Hyderabad MP alleged that the names of many legitimate voters were being deleted.

He noted that the Centre has not specified which documents prove citizenship.

“The ministry responsible for citizenship is not stating what documents are admissible as proof of citizenship. Then, on what basis is ECI taking responsibility (for SIR). That's why, we say there is a lot of confusion. If name is not part of the SIR, it will be said you (concerned person) are not a citizen (of the country). What will people do then?” Owaisi asked.

Responding to a Congress leader’s allegations of fake voters in the assembly constituencies represented by AIMIM, he said election authorities have conducted verification and found nothing amiss when similar charges were levelled in the past.

Noting that many municipal corporations across the country have ordered the closure of slaughterhouses and meat shops on August 15, he termed it "unconstitutional" and sought to know the link between meat consumption and Independence Day celebration.

“These meat bans violate people’s right to liberty, privacy, livelihood, culture, nutrition and religion,” he added.