As a 23-year-old woman in India was heading to testify against a man who allegedly raped her, a group of men that she says included her rapist attacked her and set her on fire. It's yet another horrifying incident in a country grappling with high levels of sexual violence against women.
One of her doctors at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh says she is in very serious condition.
"She has 90 per cent burn injuries and we are taking utmost care. A team of doctors are observing her," said Ashutosh Dubey, the medical superintendent of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital, told The Times of India.
According to local news reports, the five men took the unnamed victim to a secluded spot, where they poured kerosene on her and set her on fire. Local authorities say all of them have been taken into custody, as Reuters reported.
proud to live in a country where a protest against the rape of an 8 year old muslim girl in a temple draws counter protests to protect the 60 year old, honourable priest and his associates who raped said girl.
proud to live in a country where the ruling party takes a second to dismiss MLAs who cross voted, but will not disavow an MLA who raped an 18 year old girl back in September- will instead get her father beaten to death.
proud to live in a country where the media is only too willing to be pegged by the politicians, an eager tool in matters of propaganda till there's no more money to be made from having a certain kind of selective bias. proud to live in a country where worried relatives call me when they hear that I went to a protest march and say "But what about the hindu girl who was raped in a mosque?"
I'm so proud that I might just crack open with anger. Or jump off of a roof.
A 23-year-old rape victim set on fire by a gang of men, which included her alleged rapists, has died in a New Delhi hospital, prompting protests from opposition leaders who blamed the ruling party for failing to check incidents of violence against women.
The woman was on her way to board a train in Unnao district of northern Uttar Pradesh state to attend a court hearing over her rape when she was doused with kerosene and set on fire on Thursday, according to police.
She was airlifted to New Delhi for treatment later that day.
The attack, the second major case of violence against women in the past two weeks, has sparked public outrage in India.
The woman died on Friday after suffering a cardiac arrest, Dr. Shalabh Kumar, the head of burns and plastic department at New Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital told Reuters.
"She was having 95% burns," he said, adding the woman's wind pipe was burned and "toxic and hot fumes" had filled her lungs.
The woman had filed a complaint with Unnao police in March alleging she had been raped at gun-point on December 12, 2018, police documents showed. The woman named two local men, one of them was arrested by police, the other absconded.
Having been subsequently jailed, the alleged rapist was released last week after securing bail, police officer S.K. Bhagat said in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
On Thursday, the rape victim was seized by five men, including the two people she had named in her complaint, and beaten, stabbed and set on fire, local media reported citing her statement to police.
Still ablaze, she walked nearly a kilometer, seeking help before finally calling the police herself, according to Aaj Taj TV news channel.
All five of the accused have been arrested and are in 14-day judicial custody, Vikrant Vir, superintendent of police, Unnao, told Reuters.
A fast-track court would hear the case and the guilty would not be spared, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.
In India, lengthy trials, often a result of fewer courts and judges, tend to delay convictions, leaving poor, disillusioned victims with little money and patience to pursue the case.
Also, long trials result in bails to the accused who often intimidate victims and their witnesses, and try tampering with evidence.
The victim's father has alleged that his family was been harassed and threatened by the family of the accused.
"We tried to seek protection as the accused and their family kept threatening my daughter and my family, but we received little help from the government," he said. "Now, every single accused should be either hanged or shot dead."
CRIME IN UTTAR PRADESH
Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state and has become notorious for its poor record regarding crimes against women, with more than 4,200 cases of rape reported there in 2017 - the highest in the country.
Opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, general secretary of India’s main opposition Congress party, accused the Uttar Pradesh government, run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, of failing to curb crimes against women.
In an earlier incident in Unnao, a young woman had accused Uttar Pradesh lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Sengar of raping her in 2017. In July last year, the victim and her lawyer were critically injured in a highway collision, when a truck hit the car in which they were traveling. The woman's two aunts, who were also in the car, were killed in the accident.
Sengar denies the rape and any involvement in the car crash.
On Friday, Indian police shot dead four men who were suspected of raping and killing a 27-year-old veterinarian near Hyderabad city, drawing applause from across the country angry over violence against women.
But many were also concerned that police had over reached in shooting the alleged suspects without any trial.
"What will it take (to end rapes)? Not the encounter of just the poor men who rape but swift arrest and certain punishment of all rapists, however powerful or closely related to the victim," said Karuna Nundy, a lawyer practicing at India's Supreme Court who was instrumental in shaping anti-rape laws in 2013.
"And that takes real change, it's not as easy as passing a legal amendment to increase sentencing."
Best School in Unnao | Building Strong Foundations for Future Leaders
Looking for the best school in Unnao that focuses on academic excellence and overall student growth? Our institution provides a modern and nurturing educational environment where students are encouraged to develop confidence, creativity, discipline, and strong leadership qualities. With experienced educators, smart classrooms, advanced laboratories, libraries, sports infrastructure, and innovative teaching methods, students receive quality education that prepares them for future success. We focus on conceptual understanding, communication skills, personality development, and practical learning approaches that help children become independent thinkers and lifelong learners. Students actively participate in cultural programs, sports activities, debates, leadership opportunities, and creative projects that contribute to their holistic development. Our safe campus, supportive faculty, and student-focused educational practices ensure every child receives personalized attention and encouragement. Parents trust our school for its commitment to academic excellence, value-based education, and the development of responsible, confident, and future-ready individuals prepared to excel in all areas of life.
Unnao case: SC to hear CBI’s plea against Sengar’s sentence suspension today
A 3-judge Bench of the Supreme Court will on Monday hear the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) plea against the Delhi High Court order that suspended the life sentence and granted bail to expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao case.
Will move SC to challenge Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s bail: Unnao rape survivor
As former MLA and Unnao rape case convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar secured conditional bail by the Delhi High Court, the rape survivor expressed deep anguish over the decision, saying she was unhappy with the judgment, and alleged that BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has influenced the outcome.
प्रेमी ने 12वीं के छात्रा का अपहरण कर की हत्या, कटा हाथ मिलने के बाद पकड़ में आया आरोपी; जानें पूरा मामला
Uttar Pradesh News: दूसरे युवक से संबंध रखने के शक और रुपयों के लेनदेन को लेकर प्रेमी ने ही 12वीं की छात्रा की अपहरण के बाद हत्या कर दी। 10 फरवरी को युवक ने छात्रा को फोन कर बुलाया और अपहरण कर जंगल में ले जाकर गला रेत दिया। इसके बाद शव वहीं छिपाकर फरार हो गया। करीब 10 दिन बाद गुरुवार रात को छात्रा का आईडी कार्ड, बैग व एक हाथ मिलने के बाद पुलिस ने कॉल डिटेल रिपोर्ट (सीडीआर) खंगाली तो प्रेमी की…
