A woman and her daughter were burnt alive after a thatched house caught fire when the police and administration teams were clearing encroachments in a Kanpur Dehat village on Monday. The deceased were recognised as Pramila, 44, and her daughter Neha, 21, said officials.
They said sub-divisional magistrate Gyaneshwar Prasad went to Madauli village of Maitha tehsil area in the morning with police and revenue department employees to raze illegal structures after complaints of encroachment by one Krishna Kumar.
Several structures, including the thatched house, were demolished by an earthmover brought by officials. The woman and her daughter were trapped inside and died in the blaze, alleged villagers. Her husband Krishna Kumar suffered severe burn injuries while trying to save them.
News of the incident spread like wildfire, after which hundreds of villagers resorted to brick-batting and forced the teams to beat a hasty retreat. Senior police officers, including ADG Alok Singh, reached Madauli village of Maitha tehsil area where heavy police contingent had been deployed due to simmering tension.
“Two women died during the anti-encroachment drive and the police are looking into the case,” said Alok Singh, ADG.