UP-topper, studying in US, dies in accident after alleged harassment
A 20-year-old woman, whose journey from a small town in Uttar Pradesh to the prestigious Babson College, Wellesley in Massachusetts, United States inspired many, died on Monday after allegedly being harassed by unknown men on a bike. The deceased, Sudeeksha Bhati, was traveling with her uncle on a two-wheeler when two miscreants tried waylaying them. The duo met with an accident and she died.
Daughter of farmer, she fulfilled her "American dream"
In 2018, Sudeeksha grabbed headlines for achieving an extraordinary feat — the daughter of a farmer, she got a full-time scholarship for undergraduate studies in entrepreneurship at the aforementioned college. In Class 12, she had secured 98%. By the time she grabbed a seat at the Babson College, Sudeeksha had already finished a four-week pre-college program at Lehigh University, USA.
She was supposed to resume her studies in US soon
Sudeeksha had come home in June, amid the coronavirus pandemic, and was scheduled to return to the US in August. On Monday, along with her uncle Satender Bhati, she left her home to go to a relatives' place. As they crossed Bulandshahr, Bhati said, a bike tried overtaking them. "The biker was driving recklessly. The biker then started performing stunts," he went on.
Bike hit hard, Sudeeksha suffered head injuries: Uncle
"I slowed my motorcycle but the other bike hit us hard. We both fell but my niece suffered head injuries. I could not recognize the driver of the other bike and he escaped shortly after we met with the accident," Bhati told NDTV.
Relatives didn't speak about harassment at the time: Cop
On the incident, Atul Shrivastava, a senior cop, said police were informed about a road accident and immediately rushed to the spot. He said eye-witnesses told cops that a speeding Royal Enfield stopped due to traffic, causing the accident. "At that time when the accident happened, the relative or any eyewitness had not spoken about any harassment," he went on.
Police calling it road accident, daughter was murdered: Father
Slamming police for merely categorizing the incident as a road accident, Sudeeksha's father, Jeetendra Bhati said his daughter was killed, reports NBT. He said neither did the police contact the family nor was FIR registered. He questioned the delay in filing a case despite cops visiting the site. He added, "It's a murder case but not a single accused has been arrested yet."
Take strict action against culprits: Mayawati
The incident donned political colors when former CM and BSP Chief Mayawati called it shameful. "How will daughters progress? UP government should take strict legal action against the culprits immediately, this is what BSP wants," she wrote.
Notably, Sudeeksha had started a campaign against eve-teasing years ago
Sudeeksha allegedly fell prey to harassment, against which she had been protesting for long. While in school, she had started the "Voice of Women" door-to-door campaign in her village to convince parents to send their daughters to school and speak against eve-teasing. The bright student always viewed education as a means to empower women. It's tragic her dreams remained unfulfilled.
