Murdered for wearing jeans: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly killed by her own grandfather and two uncles in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district, after she defied their "no jeans" diktat. The girl's body was found hanging from a bridge on Kasya-Patna highway, after an attempt to dispose it by the accused failed. While the grandfather of the deceased girl has been arrested, her uncles are still absconding.
According to a report by the Times of India, the incident took place on July 19 but came to light the next day, when passersby found the 17-year-old’s body hanging from the grille of Patanwa bridge on Kasya-Patna highway. When alerted, the police then started an investigation in connection with the case.
Reports claimed that the girl took to wearing western wear after her brief stay in Punjab’s Ludhiana where her father is employed. When she returned to her native village in Deoria’s Mahuadeeh area with her mother, the now-deceased teenager was being pressured to shift back to Indian wear by the elders in her family. She started staying out for long hours to avoid confrontation with her family members.
This behaviour further bothered her uncles and grandfather. On Monday there was a confrontation between the deceased and the accused on the same issue, leading to a scuffle, during which the girl reportedly hit a wall and bled to death. The accused then hired an auto-rickshaw to carry her body to the Patanwa bridge. They allegedly tried to dispose of the body off the bridge however, it got stuck on the grille. Meanwhile, the police were alerted after the body was spotted by a passerby.
The girl’s grandfather and an auto driver, identified as Hasnain, were arrested on Tuesday, police informed adding that efforts were being made to apprehend her two uncles.
Feature Image Credit: NDTV