Bodies of 2 teenage Dalit girls found hanging from tree in UP village

Agra/Lucknow: Two Dalit girls -- aged 15 and 18 years -- both friends -- were found hanging with a ‘dupatta' from the branch of a mango tree in an orchard at Bhagautipur village in Kaimganj area of Farrukhabad on Tuesday morning.SP (Farrukhabad) Alok Priyadarshi said, "No injury or assault was found in the postmortem report. We think they may have committed suicide." The girls' families, however, voiced suspicions of foul play.SP Priyadarshi, who spoke with the girls' families, added: "The cause of death was asphyxia due to antemortem hanging. Videography of the post-mortem was done... A mobile phone was recovered near the tree and a SIM card was found in one of the girls' clothing."Chief medical officer Dr Avnindra Kumar, meanwhile, said, "No injury marks were apparent on the body. Sexual assault has also not been found. But to clear the suspicion of rape, a slide of vaginal swab of both the deceased has been made and sent to lab."Police sources said a team of the special operation group was working on the case. No suicide note was found yet, the sources said.The girls' families meanwhile said the teenagers went missing after they left home to watch Janmashtami celebrations at a temple on Monday night. That was the last time their families saw them. They first thought the girls had stayed back in one of their aunt's houses, hoping they would return later.The father of one of the girls said his daughter and her friend, both from the same locality, went to watch a cultural tableau on the festival night. He added: "They did not return till late at night, and the next morning, we were told that they were dead. We feel that our girls were murdered."The incident also drew sharp criticism from the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP). SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said it was "time to put women's safety above party politics" as he called for an "impartial" inquiry into the matter. Taking to social media, Yadav wrote in Hindi: "It is a very sensitive incident that the bodies of two girls, who had gone out to see Janmashtami celebrations in Farrukhabad were found hanging from a tree. Who hanged them here? Why did they hang them? Nobody knows anything. This state has become a crematorium for women." AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that "a comprehensive investigation should be done in the case."
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