20-year-old UP woman, gang-raped & tortured, is dead

A 20-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh died in Delhi on Tuesday morning, nearly two weeks after she was raped and tortured by four men in Hathras. The woman had been in an extremely critical state with multiple fractures. Her tongue had been slashed in the assault. She had been in the ICU in a hospital in Uttar Pradesh until she was moved to Delhi.

All four attackers are in jail. The woman belonged to the scheduled caste community, while the attackers were from a so-called upper caste. The incident follows a wave of crimes against women in the state and has sparked anger and outrage across India.

The woman’s family has accused the Uttar Pradesh Police of not helping them initially but reacting only after public outrage.

The woman was attacked on 14 September at her village in Hathras, 200 km from Delhi. She was dragged by her dupatta into the fields from a spot where she had been cutting grass with her family.

“Four-five people came from behind, they threw my sister’s dupatta around her neck and dragged her inside the field”, said her brother to the media. “My mother realised she was missing and went looking for her. My sister was found unconscious. They had raped her. The police did not help us initially… they did not take quick action. They acted only after four-five days”.

The Uttar Pradesh police denied the family’s allegation of slow response. “This is a very unfortunate incident but we have been proactive in making arrests and helping the family in whatever manner possible . I will personally ensure swift investigation and that these men are tried in a fast track court,” said the Hathras police chief Vikrant Vir.

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