Lakhimpur tense after woman succumbs to sexual assault injuries

A 20-year-old woman who was allegedly attacked by two youths with sharp-edged weapons during a sexual assault attempt succumbed to her injuries in Lakhimpur Kheri, police said on Saturday.

The woman died on Friday at her home in the Bhira area, around 50 km from the district headquarters on the way to Dudhwa National Park.

The victim's family members performed her last rites on Saturday evening in their village amidst heavy police presence, officials said. Her autopsy report is awaited.

Police have added the charge of culpable homicide but not amounting to murder to the original first information report (FIR), which was filed after the incident.

A police outpost in-charge has also been suspended for not heeding to the family's complaint, in which they had alleged that the woman was sexually assaulted.

The two accused have been arrested, Kheri police said in a press statement on Saturday.

Police said they came to know about a 'distortion' in the FIR after a video of her family members alleging it surfaced on social media.

Following it, the outpost in-charge was suspended, police said.

They said the investigation into the case has been assigned to Additional Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Singh.

Heavy police force was deployed in the woman's village after her relatives and locals staged a protest demanding swift justice.

ASP Arun Kumar Singh, DSP Rejesh Kumar and others rushed to the village and pacified the protesters, assuring them of effective action.

Authorities after hectic negotiations persuaded the family to allow the body to be taken for a post-mortem examination, police said.

Further action will be taken after the post-mortem report arrives, they added.