On 27 May 2014, a gang rape and murder of two teenage girls was reported in the Katra village of Budaun district (also spelled as Badayun), Uttar Pradesh, India.
[3][4][5] According to a post-mortem examination conducted earlier, it was reported that the girls had been raped[6] and died from strangulation due to being hanged while still alive.
[9] The girl's family and several activists rejected the CBI report as a cover-up "to avoid international shame and acceptance of the dismal law and order situation".
In a statement, the humanitarian organisation Save the Children India called the attack "part of an alarming trend of brutal violence against those from marginalised communities".
[15][16][17] Through the use of phone records it was established that the older girl was, in fact, having an affair with 20-year-old Pappu Yadav,[18][failed verification] with whom she had shared about 400 calls.
[26] On 29 May 2014, Badaun's Superintendent of Police Man Singh Chouhan said that a post-mortem had found that the girls were raped and died from hanging, and that DNA samples had been taken to help identify the perpetrators.
[29] On 8 June, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police A. L. Banerjee said, "According to the postmortem report of the deceased, one of the girls was not raped and it appears to be a case of honour killing.
[36][37] On 15 July, several news sources reported that the CBI is investigating "alleged inconsistencies" in the statements made by the families of the girls.
According to the reports, "the family had allegedly withheld information on the whereabouts of a cellphone belonging to the older girl and about 20 days ago, gave it to the CBI in broken condition".
[42] However, on 20 July it was reported that the rising levels of water in the Ganges had flooded the graves resulting in the bodies not being found, thus making exhumation impossible.
[44] The alleged rape and murder case become murky when the families of the two victims told the CBI that the police FIR was filed on the basis of wrong statements given by Nazru, an uncle of the girls.
[49] The CBI announced in a news conference on 27 November 2014 that after a five-month probe they have concluded that the two cousins were not sexually assaulted and murdered as police initially said, but took their own lives.
[15][16][17] According to their investigation, through the use of phone records it was established that the older girl was, in fact, having an affair with 20-year-old Pappy Yadav,[18][failed verification] with whom she had shared about 400 calls.
The Aam Admi Party has claimed that it is a cover-up "to avoid international shame and acceptance of the dismal law and order situation".
[52] On 11 June, it was reported that a group of women in Ernakulam, Kerala protested the rape by appearing in public with their shoulders and legs bared.
Without hearing our voices of protests and slogans, without understanding the apolitical climate which is permeating in the society, people are more worried about our bare shoulders and legs.
"[54] Following the rape and murder of the girls a recent comment made by former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav, has also been frequently mentioned in the press.
[57] The All India Democratic Women's Association condemned the incident and demanded speedy investigation into the crime as well as action against erring police personnel.
[58] Shireen Vakil Miller, of Save the Children India, called the attack "part of an alarming trend of brutal violence against those from marginalised communities".
[14] The Chief and members of SUM, an NGO, held agitations against this brutal violence in Delhi, adding pressure on Government by their efforts.
The state government responded that per the report received from the Badaun district administration, the victims did not belong to SC/ST; they were from the Other Backward Class (OBC) community.
[68] In 2021, journalist Sonia Faleiro published a narrative non-fiction book on the case titled The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing.