The 50-year-old Dalit woman was struck on the head by the goons with a sharp object when she tried to protect her 20-year-old daughter from being abducted in Kapsad village of Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, police said on Saturday.
However, the mother's valiant efforts to save her daughter from the goons went in vain as in the end the girl was forcibly taken away by the miscreants after grievously injuring the older woman.
The mother died during treatment at a hospital later.
The incident has triggered outrage in the area. Police have heightened security in the wake of the incident and have formed five teams to search for the accused and the missing girl.
The Opposition has condemned the incident and slammed the state government over it, saying that Uttar Pradesh is being "dragged into a state of lawlessness".
Senior Congress leader Udit Raj took to X and said, "In the Kapsad village of Meerut, a Dalit woman had stepped out of her home with her daughter to go to the fields when, on the way, goons from Yogi Ji's community tried to kidnap her daughter. When the mother tried to stop them, they murdered her and abducted the daughter."
"Nearly 48 hours have passed since this incident, but nothing has been found out yet. Incidents of Dalit oppression have increased a lot in UP. Did they run bulldozers on the homes of the accused and their relatives? It's a glimpse of what will happen even before a Hindu nation is formed."
SP MLA Atul Pradhan, speaking to the reporters, condemned the incident and said, "There can be no greater sorrow than this. Just imagine the kind of system and mindset those goons had. When a mother was going to the fields with her daughter, the miscreants abducted the girl and brutally killed the woman. When the woman was referred to a Meerut hospital, she was still breathing, but it was already apparent that her chances of survival were very low. Think about it, what could be more horrific than this?"
SP leader Yogesh Verma, speaking to IANS, said, "This incident is extremely painful and shocking. It has deeply disturbed the entire Dalit community of the district. Such a brutal act must be addressed, and those responsible must be taught a lesson by the government... This kind of lawlessness must be stopped. By now, the administration should have reached the accused persons' houses with bulldozers."
Meanwhile, the police have identified the accused as Paras Som and Sunil Kumar. Both are said to be residents of the same village.
An FIR has been registered under relevant Sections, and investigations are underway.
Further details are awaited.
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