Lucknow: The additional district and sessions court in Ambedkar Nagar has sentenced four men to life imprisonment for the murder of a 19-year-old girl in Sammanpur area of Ambedkarnagar in 2014.The court also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 each on the convicts, while acquitting the victim’s mother and uncle, who had been chargesheeted by police.Additional district and sessions Judge (First) Ram Vilas Singh convicted Ram Bal Chauhan, Vikram Chauhan, Umashankar and Rajkumar Chauhan for abducting and murdering the girl.The murder was committed on the night of April 20, 2014, in Mohiuddinpur Jagannathpur village of Sammanpur. The girl was alone in the home while her parents were working in their agricultural field.When they returned, they found her missing. Her body was later found in a nearby field. She had been strangled with a dupatta.Police chargesheeted the victim’s mother and uncle alleging they were in an illicit relationship. The prosecution claimed that the murder was committed to conceal the relationship.During the trial, however, this theory collapsed under scrutiny. Witnesses, including the victim’s grandmother and other locals, testified that four men had forcibly taken the girl from her house and killed her.Based on these testimonies and evidentiary evaluation, the court found the involvement of the four accused established beyond reasonable doubt.The court criticised the police investigation. Witnesses also alleged that the police attempted to shield the real culprits by maligning the relationship between the victim’s mother and uncle.
