Woman found hanging with hands tied behind back in UP's Ballia; grandmother alleges foul play

"The condition of the body makes it clear that my granddaughter did not commit suicide. Many people are involved in this incident. I want justice. Strict action should be taken against the culprits," the grandmother said.

Ballia (UP): A 20-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree, her hands tied behind her back, in a village in the Nagra area early on Sunday, police here said, with her kin alleging foul play behind her death.

The woman's maternal grandmother said she was to get married on April 25.

"The condition of the body makes it clear that my granddaughter did not commit suicide. Many people are involved in this incident. I want justice. Strict action should be taken against the culprits," she said.

Superintendent of Police Omveer Singh said "prima facie, the case is related to a love affair" and added four teams had been formed to uncover the truth as soon as possible.

The opposition Samajwadi Party and the Congress attacked the BJP-led government, saying the incident exposed the reality of its claims about women's safety in the state.

Superintendent of Police Singh said the woman was alone at home for the past two days as her parents had gone to Lucknow for treatment.

Information about her body being found was relayed on the 112 helpline and Singh, along with other officers, and crime branch and surveillance teams, reached the spot.

The woman was found hanging six feet above the ground from a jamun tree, with her hands tied behind her back, he said.

Her brother is in Gujarat and her sister lives with her family in Assam. The nearest home in the area is 40-50 metres away.

The body has been sent for post-mortem and four teams of local police and surveillance, a circle officer from Rasra, and an additional superintendent of police have been assigned to investigate the case, Singh said.

The superintendent of police later told PTI that the woman's body was found six to seven feet away from her home.

Asked if she had been sexually assaulted, he said details would become clearer only after the post-mortem.

Attacking the state government, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress sought justice for the bereaved family.

In a post in Hindi on X, the Samajwadi Party said, "Daughters are becoming victims of the Adityanath government's failure! The body of a 17-year-old girl was found hanging from a tree in Ballia. Sisters and daughters are being murdered, raped and exploited every day under the BJP government. Is this the chief minister's 'zero tolerance'? Strictest action should be taken against the accused and justice delivered." The Congress' state unit said such heart-wrenching incidents were happening with "sisters and daughters" every day under the BJP government.

"But Baba ji cannot see anything beyond the pleasure of his power!" it added, referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.