A 22-year-old man allegedly murdered a Dalit woman and abducted her 20-year-old daughter in Kapsad village under the Sardhana police station area of Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district on Thursday morning, triggering widespread outrage, protests, and political condemnation.

According to the police, the accused, identified as Paras Som, intercepted the two women near a canal around 8 a.m. while they were heading to their fields, misbehaved with the daughter, and fatally attacked the mother when she objected.

The woman later succumbed to her injuries at a hospital, while the daughter remains missing. Authorities have deployed additional police forces and formed multiple teams to arrest the accused and rescue the abducted woman.

The incident has drawn strong reactions from political leaders, including BSP chief Mayawati, who termed it “heartbreaking” and “shameful”, even as local communities continue to demand swift justice and stronger safety measures.

Murder and abduction shake rural Meerut

According to police officials cited by news agency PTI, the incident occurred at around 8 a.m. on Thursday when the Dalit woman and her daughter were walking towards their agricultural fields in Kapsad village.

They were reportedly intercepted near a canal by the accused, Paras Som, a resident of the same village who worked as a compounder for a local doctor. Preliminary investigations suggest that the accused and the younger woman were acquainted with each other.

Police said that Paras allegedly began misbehaving with the 20-year-old woman, prompting her mother to intervene. When the mother objected, the accused is said to have attacked her with a sharp-edged sugarcane-cutting weapon, inflicting severe head injuries.

Hearing the woman’s cries for help, villagers rushed to the spot and immediately took her to a nearby hospital. Despite medical intervention, she succumbed to her injuries, officials confirmed. Following the attack, the accused allegedly abducted the young woman and fled the scene, leading to panic and fear in the village.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vipin Tada stated that a case has been registered on the basis of a complaint, and several police teams ranging from five to ten, according to different official updates have been constituted under senior officers to track down the accused and ensure the safe recovery of the abducted woman. Additional police forces have also been deployed in and around the village to maintain law and order.

Protests, political condemnation, and heightened security

The woman’s death sparked anger and unrest, with locals gathering at the hospital and staging protests demanding the immediate arrest of the accused.

Members of the Bhim Army and other activists joined the demonstrations, raising concerns about the safety of Dalit women and the persistence of caste-based violence in the region. Protesters called for strict punishment for the accused and accountability from the administration, while police officials worked to disperse crowds and prevent escalation.

The incident soon took on political dimensions. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati strongly condemned the crime, calling it “extremely heartbreaking, shameful, and worrisome”.

In a post on social media platform X, she urged the state government to take immediate and strict action, emphasising that crimes against Dalits and women continue to expose serious gaps in governance and public safety. Reports also indicated attempts by opposition leaders to visit the village to express solidarity with the victim’s family, some of which were curtailed by police citing law-and-order concerns.

Meanwhile, authorities barricaded key routes, increased patrolling, and appealed to residents to maintain calm as the search operation continued. Police officials reiterated that all angles were being investigated and assured the public that the accused would be arrested soon.

However, for many villagers, especially women, the incident has intensified fear and uncertainty, reinforcing long-standing anxieties around safety, caste discrimination, and the ability of institutions to offer timely protection.

The Logical Indian’s Perspective

This tragic incident from Meerut is not merely a crime story; it is a grim reminder of the intersection of gender-based violence, caste vulnerability, and systemic failure. The brutal killing of a mother for standing up for her daughter, followed by the abduction of a young woman, exposes the deep-rooted power imbalances that continue to plague rural and semi-urban India.

While swift police action and political condemnation are necessary, they are not sufficient on their own. Justice must extend beyond arrests and statements to include meaningful support for victims’ families, effective witness protection, and sustained efforts to prevent such violence in the first place.