Our daughter came to Haldwani from Pithoragarh happily. You brought us her dead body. The cigarette burns on her body still burn our hearts. If we die without getting justice for our daughter, every daughter in the state will meet the same fate…” During the public meeting, these words from Ladli’s uncle brought tears to the eyes of those present. They then unanimously chanted, “Daughter, we are ashamed, your murderer is alive.” Is there no capable lawyer in Uttarakhand? Ladli’s uncle said that when his daughter was brutally murdered, the Congress government had to bow down. The entire Kumaon region stood with Ladli. Harish Rawat sent them a check of three lakh rupees for help, which they rejected. He questioned the government, asking if there are no capable lawyers in Uttarakhand, and that they have to bring lawyers from Madhya Pradesh to fight the case. There should be examinations in the state to train government lawyers so that politicians’ wives and children cannot become lawyers through any kind of arrangement. If this doesn’t happen, the accused in every case will continue to go scot-free. Accusations of the government trying to break the protest Laadli’s uncle alleged that the government was trying to break the protest, when what was needed was a review petition in the Supreme Court. Laadli’s uncle even claimed that no leader from the ruling party had come to support his daughter. He questioned whether any BJP leader was the murderer. If not, then why would they bother coming? Naming a ruling MLA, he questioned why they weren’t standing up for their daughter today. If Akhtar Ali didn’t murder Laadli, then who was? Police Scuffle, Women Protest on the Road The growing crowd of people left the police and intelligence agencies in a state of panic. Police told the angry crowd that City Magistrate Gopal Singh Chauhan was arriving at Buddha Park to receive a memorandum, but they refused. When the crowd prepared to take out a procession, the police closed the gates and attempted to stop them. This enraged the crowd. Harish Rawat, the convener of the Pahari Army, climbed over the gate and jumped over it. Police were forced to open the gate. During this time, the crowd jostled with the police. Some women who came out also staged a sit-in on the road. Congress leaders arrived to offer support after the embarrassment. During the public meeting at Buddha Park, people criticized both the Congress and the BJP, alleging that no one came to support them. As the procession headed for the City Magistrate’s office, Congress MLA Sumit Hridayesh arrived. He expressed his support and pledged to stand with the family in their fight. Lalit Joshi was also seen there. City Magistrate Gopal Singh Chauhan stated that the police have begun preparing to file a review petition in the case. This is the entire story: In November 2014, Ladli came from Pithoragarh with her family to attend a wedding in Haldwani. The six-year-old girl suddenly disappeared from the ceremony held at the Ramlila Ground in Sheeshmahal. Six days later, her body was recovered from the Gaula River. Investigations revealed that the innocent girl was lured with a toffee and then gang-raped. This incident shook the entire Kumaon region, and people took to the streets to express their anger. Eight days after the incident, the police arrested the main accused, Akhtar Ali, in Chandigarh. Based on his information, Prempal and Junior Masih were arrested. In March 2016, the ADJ Special Court in Haldwani convicted Akhtar Ali of gang rape and murder and sentenced him to death. Prempal was sentenced to five years in prison. The case reached the Supreme Court. Six days ago, Akhtar was acquitted in a Supreme Court order. Demand for justice for Ankita Bhandari and the yoga trainer A large number of people from Pithoragarh, Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, and Haldwani also gathered to demand justice for Ladli. They held posters carrying the review petition. Along with demanding justice for Ankit Bhandari and the yoga trainer of Haldwani, people also reached there with posters saying stop women harassment.
