Bhubaneswar: It has been six years since two sisters await justice for their mother who had to undergo five abortions and was later burnt alive by their father and some relatives for not having a son. Though their father was accorded a life sentence by a court in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, on July 27, 2022, the cases of the other accused persons are pending in the High Court to be heard in August.
Tanya and Latika Bansal had testified against their father Manoj who had murdered his wife Anu for not giving birth to a male child. Anu had been allegedly forced to undergo five abortions and was repeatedly tortured by Manoj. He had finally poured a bottle of kerosene on her and set her on fire on June 14, 2016. She succumbed to her injuries on June 20, 2016.
Then just 12 and 14, the two sisters were locked in a room and witnessed the murder of their mother through a window. Later, they with the help of their maternal grandmother filed an FIR against all the accused persons. They had also written a letter ‘in blood’ to former CM Akhilesh Yadav seeking justice for their mother.
