Awadhesh Prasad, Member of Parliament for Ayodhya (Faizabad), was seen weeping in front of reporters after the body of a 22-year-old Dalit woman was found in a canal near her village in Uttar Pradesh. The woman had been missing, and her family has alleged that she was murdered.
According to the family, the woman's body showed signs of foul play, they claimed her eyes were missing and her limbs were tied with ropes. The condition of the body was so horrific that the victim’s elder sister and two other women reportedly fainted upon seeing it.
Prasad, visibly emotional, expressed his grief over the incident. A video that surfaced online shows him being consoled by colleagues who encouraged him to fight for justice.
“Let me go to Delhi. I will bring this to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention on Lok Sabha’s floor. I will resign from the Lok Sabha if I fail to bring justice to the victim," Prasad said.I have failed. It’s our collective failure. How will history remember us?"
According to media reports, the woman was last seen on January 30, when she was sleeping with her sister. Her body was discovered on February 1 by her brother-in-law, approximately 500 meters from the village, in a small canal. A suspect has reportedly been detained for questioning, and special investigation teams have been set up to probe the case.