THE village of Bhadras, home to about 4000 families is barely 30 kilometres from Kanpur.  The ‘chamar tola’ is located just at the entrance of the village and, when an AIDWA delegation comprising Seema (state general secretary), Neelam (district p resident) and I went there on November 19, we met most of the male inhabitants gathered around an open courtyard which is also the place where the children of the tola play.  About 25-30 houses make up the tola.

As we introduced ourselves, the men felt silent.  They knew why we had come. One of them, however, recognised us and said to the others:  ‘Don’t worry.  They’re Communists.  They always fight for our rights’.  This encouraged the others to speak and tell us about what happened on that fateful Diwali night of November 14.

Bhuri (Shreya) was the six-year old daughter of Ramkali and Karan. As usual, she was playing in the courtyard and, suddenly, at about 6 pm, when it had become quite dark, her mother realised that she was missing.  After this, all the preparations for the celebration came to a halt and most villagers, including those belonging to other castes and Muslims joined. After a few hours, the police were informed and, with surprising efficiency, they arrived very soon.

After learning from Karan that he had been involved in an altercation with a young man, Beeran, the police left taking him and a few others with them.  After UP police-style interrogation, Beeran confessed to having killed Bhuri along with Ankul.  Apparently Ankul had lured her away from the courtyard with a packet of kurkure.

Ankul told the police that he and Beeran had been given Rs 1500 by his childless uncle, Parsuram and aunt, Sunayna to kill a girl-child on Diwali night and give her organs to them.  After they were arrested, Parsuram said that he had bought a book near Kanpur railway station which said that killing a child and eating her organs on Diwali night would bring them a child. Sunayna had done what the book said.

The morning after she disappeared, Bhuri’s little body was found in a field about a kilometre from the village.  There was a hole in her head.  Her torso was just a bigger hole with all the organs removed.  Her private parts were injured.  According to the police, she had been raped by Beeran and Ankul before being killed.

The villagers told us time and again that none of the four arrested was a criminal or had a criminal history.  Sunayna was, in fact, very popular with the children and she gave them sweets whenever she could. Bhuri was a favourite child.

Superstitious beliefs and practices are rampant in our society and our movement has always stressed the need for popularising scientific thought.  Tragically, for the last six years, BJP governments at the centre and in many states have purveyed the most sickening unscientific beliefs.  However horrifying, this tragedy becomes comprehensible in that context.