UP: Eight-Year-Old Girl Dies A Week After Being Shot By Neighbours Over A Trivial Matter; Tension In Village

An eight-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh, who was shot at by three villagers belonging to a different community a week ago, has succumbed to her injuries.

Laali Pandey died on the afternoon of 27 May in a hospital.

The girl’s family lives in a village in Raniganj tehsil of Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district. She was shot exactly a week ago on 20 May.

As per reports, Laali was bathing under a running handpump when three men came and asked her to move away so they could wash their hands. The child refused, and the men pumped a bullet in her body.

While the men fled the spot, the girl’s family took her to a local health centre where doctors referred her to the district hospital.

Her condition was initially said to be serious. However, some publications also reported in the following days that she was stable.

Her death on 27 May has increased the tension in the village, reports say.

The three men were identified as Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Akhlaq and Mohammad Saahil.

Of the three, Saahil and Wasim were arrested the next day. The police also recovered an illegal weapon from them.

Laali’s elder sister, on whose statement the FIR was registered, told Swarajya on 28 May that Akhlaq continues to be absconding (although some reports say Akhlaq has been arrested). “We had named four unidentified accused too. None of them have been arrested,” she said.

She said that Laali was the youngest of her four siblings.