Lucknow: The body of a 23-year-old Dalit woman was found in a sack in Uttar Pradesh’s Karhal constituency, one of nine Assembly constituencies where bypolls are underway on Wednesday.
The woman’s family has alleged that she was murdered by a local Samajwadi Party (SP) worker as she supported the BJP.
Two people, identified as Prashant Yadav and Mohan Katheria, have been arrested in connection with the case.
“The parents of the woman have said the accused killed her because she wanted to vote for the BJP,” Mainpuri district police chief Vinod Kumar said.
The woman’s father told police that Prashant asked her about voting preference when he visited their home three days ago. She said about backing the BJP as her family benefited under the PM Awas Yojana.
Prashant threatened the woman and asked her to vote for the SP, said the father.
The gruesome incident triggered a political storm.
Condemning the incident, state BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary wrote on X: “At Karhal in Mainpuri district, Samajwadi Party’s Prashant Yadav and his aides brutally murdered a Dalit daughter only because she refused to vote for ‘cycle’ (SP symbol).”
Tej Pratap Yadav, SP’s candidate in Karhal, called for a thorough probe and strict punishment for the guilty.
SP’s official X handle accused police personnel of intimidating voters in the name of patrolling, but didn’t mention the murder.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who previously represented Karhal, accused the ruling BJP state administration of blocking voters.
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