Faizabad MP breaks down, threatens to resign over Dalit woman’s murder

Ayodhya: Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad broke down in tears during a press conference on Sunday, declaring that he would resign from the Lok Sabha if justice was not served for the family of a 22-year-old Dalit woman who was found murdered near Ayodhya. The victim’s brutal killing has sparked outrage just days ahead of the crucial bypoll in the Milkipur Assembly segment.

A video of the emotional press meet, now viral on social media, shows the Samajwadi Party (SP) MP crying as colleagues attempt to console him. “Let me go to Delhi. I will raise this matter in the Lok Sabha before Prime Minister Narendra Modi. If we do not get justice, I will resign,” Prasad said. “We are failing to save our daughters. How will history judge us? How did this happen to our daughter?” he added, invoking Lord Ram and Sita in his plea for justice.

The chilling crime has sent shockwaves across Uttar Pradesh, particularly as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav intensify their campaigns for the February 5 bypoll in Milkipur. Prasad had vacated the seat after winning the Faizabad parliamentary election.

The woman’s body was discovered in a canal in Ayodhya district on Saturday. She had attended a religious gathering on Thursday night but never returned home. Her family alleged that when they approached the police for help, they were asked to search for her on their own. The family claims the victim’s body was found unclothed, with her eyes missing, and bearing severe injuries. Her limbs were bound with ropes, raising suspicions that she was subjected to sexual violence before being murdered.

Circle Officer Ashutosh Tiwari confirmed that a missing persons report had been registered on Friday and that an investigation was underway.