Magisterial probe ordered into women's 'death due to burning'

A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident where a mother-daughter duo died of burning in a botched anti-encroachment drive by the local administration of the Kanpur Dehat district. JP Gupta, upper district magistrate of the district has been nominated to conduct the probe, said an order signed by district magistrate Neha Jain on Wednesday, adding that the probe was ordered considering the "seriousness" and "sensitivity" of the matter.

A 45-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter, residents of Madauli village in the district, were allegedly burned alive in the presence of administrative and police officials who had come to bulldoze the family's makeshift hut built on encroached village land. The family has alleged that the administrative officials, including the sub-divisional magistrate, lekhpal and others set the hut ablaze and then brought the bulldozer down on it, trapping and killing the two while other family members escaped narrowly.

The police, however, said the duo self-immolated themselves. An FIR has been lodged against the SDM, lekhpals, local station house officer and police officials under murder charge. The government has promised a house, old age pension to the father, an agricultural land strip and relief amount to the family, apart from providing ₹10 lakh for treatment of the two sons who got injured during the encroachment drive.