Dalit Girl Found Dead in Ballia; Four Booked Amid Allegations of Witness Intimidation and Murder
In a chilling case that has sparked outrage in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district, the body of a minor Dalit girl was discovered at her home under suspicious circumstances.
The girl was reportedly a key witness in a molestation case filed by her sister-in-law last year. Now, four men from her neighbourhood have been booked for assault gang rape and murder, even as police claim no arrests have been made yet and investigations are still ongoing.
According to the police, all four accused named in the FIR were the girl’s neighbours, and one of them had already been implicated in the earlier molestation case.
The remaining three are believed to be close friends and a relative of the prime accused. The molestation case, registered in 2023, had been pending in court, and the victim was expected to record her statement as a witness.
A senior police officer confirmed that the initial tip-off about the girl’s death came from one of the men accused in the molestation case, raising immediate suspicions.
The accused in that earlier case had all been released on bail, but according to the girl’s family, they had been repeatedly threatening and pressuring her to provide a statement that would favour the accused in the court proceedings.
On Saturday, the local police were alerted about the girl’s death. Upon reaching the scene, they reportedly found her body hanging inside the house.
Although no external injuries were found on the body, and the post-mortem report confirmed death by hanging, the girl’s family and villagers strongly disputed the possibility of suicide, alleging instead that she was allegedly raped and murdered to silence her as a witness.
The incident led to local protests, with villagers accusing the four named individuals of having molested and killing the girl before raping her allegedly, especially since one of them had been directly accused in the original molestation case.
The girl’s family remains firm in their claim that she had been facing intense pressure and threats from the accused over the last several weeks.
Om Prakash Singh, Superintendent of Police, Ballia, stated that a preliminary inquiry has been conducted, a nd findings so far are inconclusive.
However, the suspicious circumstances, especially the accused being the first to report the death, and the victim’s role as a key witness in a pending criminal case, have deepened the mystery surrounding her death.
“The investigation is ongoing and all angles are being examined,” said SP Singh. “At this point, the postmortem shows no external injury and confirms hanging, but we are not ruling anything out.”
The fact that the girl’s court statement in the molestation case was still pending adds to the seriousness of the matter. Legal experts and rights groups are demanding that authorities treat this case with utmost urgency and sensitivity, particularly given the caste and gender-based vulnerabilities involved.
This tragic incident once again puts a spotlight on the failure of systems to protect Dalit women and minor girls, especially those involved in legal proceedings as witnesses or survivors.
Human rights activists are urging the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure a speedy and impartial investigation, while also protecting the victim’s family, who fear retaliation.
