On Monday, February 13, reports emerged that 45-year-old Pramila Dikshit and her 20-year-old daughter Neha were burnt alive during the demolition drive in the village Madauli under the Rura Police Station area, district Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Initially, it was said that the women immolated themselves. The deceased’s family, however, has stated that the duo did not set themselves on fire, but rather the SDM directed Lekhpal to set fire to their house, in which the duo got trapped and was charred to death.
As per a report in Aaj Tak, another video has surfaced wherein Pramila Dikshit’s husband Krishna Gopal Dixit has accused DM Neha Jain of negligence and apathy, resulting in the February 13 tragedy. The video is said to be from January 14, 2023. The disgruntled Krishna Gopal Dixit alleged that if the DM had addressed their plea in January, the February 13 tragedy may have been averted.
It may be recalled that it was on January 14 that SDM Janeshwar Prasad, Lekhpal Ashok Singh, Tehsildar, 12-15 police officers, and a JCB had for the first time arrived at Krishna Gopal Dixit’s pucca house, where the family had been living for the past many years, on the basis of a complaint filed by one Ashok Dixit that the house was built on encroached land. The officials had allegedly arrived without a copy of the official order authorising the demolition. Shivam, the son of Pramila Dixit, had said that his family had not received any prior information from the authorities warning them of the situation.
Shivam’s family contested the authorities’ arbitrary action against their pucca house. Facing protests, the authorities could only remove some construction. They returned warning Shivam and his family to vacate the area in the next 3-5 days.
The next day, Krishna Gopal Dixit said he along with his wife, daughter and two sons, visited DM Neha Jain’s office pleading for justice.
This is Pramila Dixit of Kanpur Dehat | She and her daughter Neha Dixit burned to ashes last evening. When she was alive, she was running to the authorities in hope of getting justice after being razed to the ground by Lekhpal. Listen to what she was saying 🥲 pic.twitter.com/4IR3qa1tff
— Satyaagrah (@satyaagrahindia) February 14, 2023
District Magistrate Neha Jain, on the other hand, did not meet with the victim’s family. The victim’s family spent the entire night outside the DM’s office, in the hope to meet Jain, but to no avail. The next morning, SDM Janeshwar Prasad showed up at the scene, summoned the police, and began hauling them to the police station.
SDM accuses victim’s family of creating a nuisance
When the SDM took the family inside the police station, Pramila pleaded with him, claiming that their house had been wrecked and that they had nowhere to stay. She sought justice from SDM. SDM Janeshwar Prasad, however, showed no compassion to the family and instead filed an FIR against them, falsely accusing them of creating a ruckus.
In fact, earlier too, a separate complaint was filed against the victim’s family. Lekhpal Ashok Singh filed a complaint against Krishna Gopal Dixit and his son Shivam on January 13, when the victim’s family’s house in Madauli village was being demolished. Lekhapl had also written to the SDM against Krishna Gopal Dixit and his son.
In the letter to the SDM, Lekhpal Ashok Singh wrote, “On January 13, when the administration arrived to evacuate the illegal encroachment, Krishna Gopal and his sons Shivam and Ansh abused the officials and started fighting. They instigated the villagers to attack the government employees. They told the officials, ‘Run away from here, or the Bikru episode would be repeated.'”
Shivam files a complaint with Kanpur SP but to no avail
Shivam had filed a report with the Superintendent of Police about the death of his mother and sister. Shivam accused SDM Janeshwar Prasad, Kanungo, Lekhpal Ashok Singh, three other Lekhpals, and Rura police station in-charge Dinesh Gautam, as well as 12-15 men and women, of being responsible for his mother and sister’s murder.
According to Shivam’s FIR, on January 14, the SDM Janeshwar Prasad, Lekhpal Ashok Singh, Tehsildar, 12-15 police officers, and a JCB arrived at Krishna Gopal Dixit’s pucca house, where the family had been living for decades, on the basis of a complaint filed by one Ashok Dixit that the house was built on encroached land. Shivam went on to say that he had not received any prior information from the authorities advising him of the situation.
Shivam’s family contested the authorities’ arbitrary action against their pucca house. Facing protests, the authorities could only remove some construction. They returned warning Shivam and his family to vacate the area in the next 3-5 days.
Shivam stated that he went to the District Magistrate (DM) and Additional District Magistrate (ADM) offices on the same day to file a complaint, but no one listened to his request. Instead, the following day, authorities charged eight members of the Dixit family, including Pramila and Shivam, with rioting. The cops drove them away by threatening to imprison them if they did not withdraw their complaint.
Since they were now rendered homeless, Shivam and his father constructed a temporary shelter with mud and straw in the Madauli village and started living there. The family alleged that Lekhpal Ashok Singh once again approached them and demanded Rs 5,000. When the family refused to pay, the Lekhpal along with Maitha SDM Janeshwar Prasad and Rura police station SHO Dinesh Kumar Gautam reached their hut on February 13 at 3 pm with a JCB to demolish it. Ashok Dikshit, Anil Dikshit, and Nirmal Dikshit were also present at the scene.
Shivam went on to say that he and his family were resting inside the house and that 22 goats were also tied inside when the authorities proceeded to run a bulldozer over it without alerting them. He added that the enraged SDM demanded that Lekhpal set fire to their hut and the Lekhpal warned them that no one would be spared.
Police thrashed Shivam after he survived the fire
Shivam added that after he somehow managed to escape the blazing hut, SHO Dinesh Gautam and the police constables severely beat him up.
He added that his father Krishna Gopal Dixit also managed to escape the fire but got multiple burn injuries all over his body.
Meanwhile, Shivam’s mother Pramila, and sister Neha got trapped beneath the roof that fell over them as a result of the fire.
Yogi Govt constitutes SIT to investigate the matter
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Kanpur divisional commissioner and assistant director general, Kanpur Zone, to investigate the murders of the mother-daughter duo during an eviction drive in Kanpur Dehat on February 13.
The DGP has constituted a five-person team led by Hardoi SP Rajesh Dwivedi. Together with him, members include CO Vikas Jaiswal, City Kotwal Sanjay Pandey, Crime Branch’s Ramesh Chandra, and Women’s Police Station in-charge Ramsukhari. In a week, the SIT will provide an interim report.
The state government has declared a Rs 10 lakh compensation and protection for the victim’s family.
“For the proper treatment of the injured sons, an assistance of Rs 5 lakh each (total Rs 10 lakh) has been provided to the family by the government,” an official spokesman said.
District Magistrate Neha Jain is not new to controversies
DM Neha Jain, who has been accused of ineptness by the family of deceased Pramila Dikshit and her 20-year-old daughter Neha, is no stranger to controversy. Devendra Singh Bhole, a BJP MP, had fiercely opposed Neha Jain’s conduct in the case where a businessman named Balwant Singh died in police custody on December 12, 2022. According to the MP, Neha Jain has no control over the administrative system.
Following the aforementioned incident, Jain was chastised when billboards placed throughout the city for the Kanpur Dehat Mahotsav lacked images of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pratibha Shukla, the Minister of State at the time, criticised Neha Jain for her laxity.
Pratibha Shukla has also castigated DM Neha Jain claiming that, despite being a woman, she is incapable of delivering justice to another woman.
A dispute between two Dixit families lead to the mother and daughter’s death in Kanpur
It is being said that land was a cause of dispute between Krishna Gopal Dixit’s family and a second Dixit family, who is now accused in the case. Vishal Dixit, Gaurav Dixit and Ashok Dixit are the accused in the case.
The victim’s family owns two plots in the village. For decades, the victim’s family had been cultivating it. Two decades ago Pramila and her husband Krishna Gopal Dixit built a house and started living there.
Ashok Dixit had got a lease about ten years ago on the government land under his sister’s name by conniving with the government official responsible for arranging land deeds. The issue began when Ashok wanted to start construction on the land. Gopal Krishna Dixit’s family was in possession of a part of this government land for a long time. Now Ashok Dixit wanted to capture it.
As per the law, people who have a pucca house cannot live on the land of the village society. Ashok’s family used this to raise a complaint against Krishna Gopal’s family. They complained to the administration that Gopal Krishna’s family were illegally occupying the government land. Ashok’s family asked the authorities to remove Gopal Krishna’s family so they could make use of the entire area of the land they leased.
