Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to immediately investigate into the death of a woman in Bulandshahr whose two minor daughter and other family members met him here on Saturday morning.
The CM also announced compensation of Rs 5lakh each to the two sisters latika and Tanya and even assured a house and job for their maternal uncle so that he can help them in their grooming. Besides, he also issued direction to ensure treatment of maternal grand-mother of the children who was reportedly suffering from cancer.
The CM met the girls after latika Bansal(15), who witnessed her mother burn to death two months ago, wrote a letter to him in her own blood. Senior police officers in Bulundshahr visited latika at her uncle’s house and gave security to latika and her 11-year-old sister Tanya. Police also said that they have reopened the case.
An official communiqué released on Saturday afternoon confirmed that soon after hearing the trauma of the girls, chief minister had summoned the DGP and Principal Secretary (Home) and directed them to ensure that justice is done in the matter and that guilty are brought to book. Consoling the children, the Chief Minister also announced a financial assistance and assured them of all possible help in getting their maternal uncle a job so that their upbringing and educational expenses are taken care of. Yadav also said that in all likelihood the girls would also be provided a house and that the state government will extend all possible help in getting the girls justice.
Earlier, the police had claimed that latika’s mother Anu Bansal had committed suicide by setting herself on fire. latika had also claimed that she had been receiving death threats ever since she had started approaching top police officers to demand justice for her mother. On June 14, last Anu Bansal was allegedly burnt alive by her mother-in-law Snehalata Bansal and brother-in-law Rajesh Bansal since she was “unable to give birth to a boy”. Anu’s brother Tarun Jindal said that victim’s husband Manoj was also complicit in the murder.
latika had approached police officers at various levels but failed to get any help. In the hope of getting justice for her mother, she wrote a letter a letter to Akhilesh Yadav with her own blood. latika’s mother had suffered 95 per cent burns after the incident and could not survive. The teen had even called the police helpline number - 100 - but got no help. . She later called for an ambulance which never came. She gave up on calling up government authorities for help and called up her uncle who arrived 10 minutes later.
“I can never forget what I saw. My mother was burnt alive in front of my eyes. For the past 15 years, I have seen my mother being tortured over the fact that she could not give birth to a boy. When my sister Tanya was born 11 years ago, the three of us were thrown out of the house and we were living on rent. On the night of June 14 last, my grandmother and some other relatives came to our house and told my mother that they would get my father married to someone who could bear him a son. It led to an altercation which resulted in them setting my mother on fire. My little sister could not stop crying, but I had to be brave so I called up 100,” latika told reporters after meeting the CM.
It may be pointed out here that one of the two girls, latika has written a letter to the Chief Minister seeking justice in the matter pertaining to the death of her mother. The letter went viral on the social media and the Chief Minister took cognizance of the pain and tragedy that had befallen the girls.