Villagers gather at the residence of the girls in Badaun
The father of one of the two girls, who were gang-raped and killed in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district, on Saturday lashed out at the government's offer of compensation, saying, "I don't need compensation, I want justice for my daughter". (
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"They hanged my daughter, I want them hanged as well," he said.
His 15-year-old daughter and her 14-year-old cousin had gone missing from their home on Tuesday night after they stepped out to relieve themselves. (
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They were allegedly abducted by some men from the village. Their bodies were found hanging from a tree in an orchard the next day.
Police on Saturday arrested the fifth accused in the gang-rape case. All five accused who had been identified are now under arrest. Two are yet to be identified.
Two policemen are among the five arrested accused. They have been arrested for allegedly not acting soon enough on the complaint of the girls' family; police will also probe their alleged role in the horrific act. (
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Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by his aide Madhusudan Mistry, visited Badaun today to meet the family members of the two girls. (
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He later told media personnel, "The family has said compensation is not enough, they need justice. I agree with the family's demand for a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) inquiry". (
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The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to refer the investigation to the CBI.
The state government has also promised to set up a fast track court to punish the culprits.
The father of the 15-year-old girl had earlier claimed that they could have been saved had the police acted on time.
The family alleges that when they approached the local police for help, they refused to register a first information report, or a FIR, for hours.
A case of rape and murder was reportedly registered only after angry villagers protested against the alleged police apathy.
The family has demanded an independent inquiry into the case, alleging that they have little hope of justice from the Akhilesh Yadav-led state government since the accused belong to the same community as the chief minister. (
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"We are so poor that we don't expect justice to be done to us. Police has been pressurising us to change our statement," the neighbour of one of the victims told NDTV.
Though the villagers claim to have lost faith in the UP police and the state government completely, they are determined to continue their fight for justice.