UP: AITC delegation to visit Prayagraj tomorrow

A five-member fact-finding delegation of All India Trinamool Congress Party (AITC) will visit Prayagraj on Sunday where five members of a family were brutally murdered and later their house was set on fire, informed AITC.

Dola Sen, Mamata Bala Thakur, Saket Gokhale, Uma Soren and Lalitesh Tripathi are members of the delegation.

Earlier on Friday, five members of a family, including a two-year-old, were found dead inside their house in Khevrajpur village in the Tharwai area in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj district, police had said.

The bodies of five victims, including a man, three women and a minor girl, were found in the courtyard of their house and their house was reportedly set on fire after the crime. Police suspected that they were attacked with a sharp-edged weapon.

The deceased had been identified as Raj Kumar (55), Kusum Devi (50), Manisha Kumari (25), Savita (30) and Meenakshi (2).

The incident had come to light when the locals saw fumes coming out of the house and informed the local police.

On receiving the information, the police team had reached the spot immediately along with a forensic team.

Locals had said that the police removed the bodies from the house and sent them for post-mortem, without waiting for the family to arrive.

As soon as the relatives of the family reached, they started demanding the bodies and accused the police of suppressing the matter.

Amrit Lal Yadav, the uncle of one deceased woman had said, "A person saw the fumes coming out of the house and informed the villagers. People rushed to see and found the bodies in the courtyard of the house. People said that the mother-in-law of my daughter was alive. Police took her to the hospital. Along with her, they took all the other four bodies without informing us. We could not understand what was happening."The police, however, had said that no such action was taken without the family's permission, they removed the bodies from the house since there was a fire.

Earlier this week, another family of five members was reportedly found stabbed to death inside their house in Khagalpur village.

The cases of mass murder have created fear among the locals and they are demanding a speedy investigation into the case.

BSP president Mayawati had said, "The news of the brutal murder of five members of a family in Prayagraj is very sad, condemnable and worrying. The government should go to the bottom of the incident and ensure that strict legal action is taken against the culprits."

SP president Akhilesh Yadav said, "Under the BJP 2.0, UP immersed in crime. Today's testimonial" and attached the news report of the killing.

Police are still investigating the case and the cause behind the murders is yet to be ascertained.

( With inputs from ANI )