LUCKNOW: The Dalit minor girl, 17, who survived the incident of alleged poisoning at Baburha village under Soha police station area in Unnao last Wednesday, regained consciousness during her treatment at Regency hospital in Kanpur late on Tuesday night. She recorded her statement about the February 17 incident confirming poisoning but denying sexual assault on the fateful day by the perpetrators.
It may recalled that three Dalit girls aged 13, 15 and 17, were found in an unconscious state and tied up in their field last Wednesday. While the two younger ones were declared brought dead on arrival by doctors at the Community Health Centre (CHC), the third one, 17, was taken to Regency hospital in Kanpur.
As per the authorities, the 17-year-old victim recorded her first statement in the hospital in front of an executive magistrate followed by police and the chief judicial magistrate on Tuesday evening. The sources said that the victim claimed that all three of them were poisoned by Vinay and Raju on the fateful day. Both the culprits were arrested on last Friday. However, the victim denied any attempt of sexual assault on her and her cousins, said the police sources.
According to Unnao SP Anand Kulkarni, the victim mentioned the names of both the accused arrested by the police on last Friday. Sources said that narrating the incident, the victim told the magistrate that she along with her cousins had bought packets of kurkure (snack) and went to the field. She claimed that after cutting the fodder for the cattle, as they were resting in the field and eating the snacks, Lambu (accused Vinay) and Sachin (Raju) joined them.
They had also brought snacks with them. As the snacks were very spicy, they needed water which was allegedly offered to them by Vinay. The victim claimed that her two sisters snatched the bottle from her hands and drank the water. She drank only whatever little water was remaining in the bottle. The girl claimed that as soon as she began drinking the water, all three of them started frothing and Lambu and Sachin fled the spot leaving them behind.
“She told us that she fell unconscious soon after drinking water and does not remember anything after that,” the Unnao SP said while talking to mediapersons on Wednesday.
The Unnao police had claimed to have cracked the case last Friday by arresting two persons—Vinay, 25, and Raju, 19. IG Lucknow range Lakshmi Singh had addressed mediapersons saying that Vinay had admitted to his act of poisoning by offering the three girls water spiked with pesticide as he wanted to target the eldest one for she had allegedly refused his proposal and his advances on February 14, Valentines Day.
According to the SP, the lab report identified the poison as sulfosulfuron, a herbicide. “This poison is almost odourless, which could be the reason why the girls could not realise they were drinking poison," he said. The SP added that police would soon submit the chargesheet in the case and the trial would take place in a fast-track court.