LUCKNOW: Bodies of two minor sisters, aged around 15 and 17 years, belonging to the scheduled caste community were found hanging from a tree under the Nighasan police station area of Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday night.
Local villagers and the victims' family accused three men of rape and murder and staged a demonstration at the Nighasan crossing, a few kilometres from the village.
Lucknow range inspector general (IG) of police Laxmi Singh and Lakhimpur Kheri superintendent of police (SP) Sanjiv Suman, however tried to pacify the irate villagers assuring them of strict action against the accused.
Locals said the bodies of the two girls were found hanging from a tree at Tamoliapurwa village in a sugarcane field with a scarf.
The mother of the girls alleged that three youngsters on a motorcycle, belonging to the neighbouring village abducted the girls from near a hutment while the two sisters were cutting fodder.
The mother said that she was bathing inside the hutment when three youths of the neighbouring village arrived, one in a yellow T-shirt, another in a white one and the third in a blue T-shirt.
As per the local sources, the three accused named by the victims' family also belong to the scheduled caste.
Police said that the girls' family "didn't file any complaint until their bodies were found". SP Suman said,
"We have sent the bodies for autopsy to ascertain the reason of death. However, as of now, we cannot rule out the possibility of suicide as there were no physical injuries on their bodies."
Confirming the incident ADG (L&O) Prashant Kumar said a case would be registered on the basis of the complaint received from their family and every aspect will be examined.