Meerut: Days after UP CM Yogi Adityanath met the family of murdered Dalit student Lalita Gautam, 20, in Ghaziabad on Saturday, police have now dropped serious, non-bailable charges against protesters arrested during the July 8 demonstrations in Meerut.The action came after several meetings between UP govt representatives and the family, which has been demanding justice for the dead student.
Last week, the state govt sprang into action to contain the fallout of growing Dalit protests in the district by deputing Asim Arun, minister in charge of Meerut and former IPS officer and prominent Dalit face himself in the BJP, to “personally intervene” in the case.
Advocate Anil Pradhan, representing the eight accused, said that it was the court that intervened directly. “The court of additional chief judicial magistrate found the charges frivolous and ordered their withdrawal from the FIR,” Pradhan said.
Pradhan said legal steps are underway to hold the law enforcement officers accountable, stating his team is preparing a formal application to press charges against SSP Avinash Pandey “for thrashing protesters and physically assaulting a defense lawyer inside a police van”.
A video of the SSP’s action drew condemnation across the political spectrum. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati criticised the administration’s high-handedness. The authorities had then also barred prominent Dalit leaders, including Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, from entering the city.
Gautam, a final-year BA student, was allegedly abducted and murdered on May 15, and her body was recovered from a sugarcane field two days later. Police subsequently arrested her acquaintance, Ankush Kumar, alleging he murdered her after she refused a marriage proposal to protect her family’s honor. His brother, Ankit, and an associate, Adesh, were also named in that case.
Outrage over the murder boiled over on July 8 when demonstrators blocked the Meerut Collectorate gate for nearly three hours, demanding Ankit’s immediate arrest. Clashes erupted after police launched a baton charge. Authorities claimed 11 police personnel were injured in the melee.
Police then booked 63 protesters—13 named and 50 unidentified—under various BNS sections, including 109 (attempt to murder), which provides over seven years of imprisonment. Under Supreme Court guidelines, automatic arrests are generally prohibited for offenses carrying sentences of seven years or less—making the addition of severe non-bailable charges pivotal to keeping the protesters detained.
Yogi had earlier directed that strict legal action be taken against every person involved in the crime and ordered action against any officer or personnel found negligent. Adityanath announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh from the CM’s discretionary fund, and directed officials to provide a house for the victim’s father and another eligible family member under the Mukhayamantri Awas Yojana. The CM also instructed officials to extend benefits under all eligible govt welfare schemes to the family.
Courtesy : TOI
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