Two Dalit girls went to celebrate a Hindu festival. Now they have been found dead

The two girls, 18 and 15, were from one of India’s most oppressed castes

The bodies of two Dalit teens found hanging from a tree in India triggered an outcry at a time when women in the country have been protesting against gender-based violence.

The two girls, 18 and 15, were from one of India’s most oppressed castes. They were found on Tuesday in a village in the northern and most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which is governed by prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The police said the deaths appeared to be suicide – a claim refuted by the families of the teenagers, who suspect foul play. "Prima facie it seemed that the girls had done it by themselves," Farrukhabad superintendent of police, Alok Priyadarshi, said, adding that there were no visible injuries.

India’s 200 million Dalits, formerly untouchables, are placed on the lowest rung of a caste hierarchy and often the targets of discrimination though India abolished untouchability in 1955.

An autopsy of both girls found asphyxia to be the cause of death, according to reports. The district's chief medical officer, Avanindra Kumar, ruled out sexual or physical assault.

The victims' families alleged the girls, both neighbours and friends, went missing on Monday after leaving home to watch Janmashthami event (a festival celebrating the birth of Hindu deity Krishna) event at a temple not far from the house.

"They had gone to the temple, about 250m from my house, to celebrate the festival at 7.30pm. They returned around 9pm and shortly after left to attend the tableau procession," the father of one of the victims told reporters.

When the girls did not return at night, the families assumed they were staying the night at their aunt's house near the temple. "A woman from our village told us in the morning that someone was found hanging from a tree in the mango orchard. We went there and saw they were our daughters,” he added.

"It is a case of murder... but the police are trying to simplify the case by calling it suicide," he was quoted by The Telegraph as saying.

The father of the minor said they were being questioned by the police "as if we are criminals".

"Is this how they are going to solve the case," he asked.

The families alleged that they were being pressured to cremate the bodies “as soon as possible”. “We are not demanding anything, we just want to know the truth.”

Police have formed a special team to investigate the deaths after the families filed official complaints on Tuesday.

The police found one mobile phone near the scene of the incident and a SIM card that reportedly belonged to one of the girls.

Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the opposition Samajwadi Party, sought an "impartial" probe.

"Who hanged them? Why? Nobody knows anything. This state has become a crematorium for women," he said.

The incident took place nearly two years after two minor Dalit sisters were raped and hanged from a tree in the same state. The state administration under chief minister Yogi Adityanath faced criticism for handling the attack in which four upper caste Hindu men were accused.

In 2021, the gangrape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in the state’s Hathras district brought national and international condemnation for Mr Modi’s party.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.