Highlights:
- On 14th September a 20 year old woman was gang raped and tortured
- Today, the woman succumbed to her injuries in a Delhi hospital
- She was dragged by her dupatta into the fields and her tongue was cut
A 20 year old woman from Hatras in the state of Uttar Pradesh was gang-raped and tortured by 4 men on the 14th of September has succumbed to her injuries and took her last breath in a Delhi hospital today.
The woman had been in extremely critical state with multiple fractures and even her tongue was slashed in the horrific assault. She had been in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in a hospital in Uttar Pradesh until she was moved to Delhi on Monday (yesterday).
Currently, all the 4 attackers are behind bars, they will now also be charged with murder.
The 20 year old woman belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, while the attackers were from so-called upper castes. The incident, coming in a wave of crimes against women in Uttar Pradesh in recent months, sparked nationwide shock and anger as details of the woman’s death emerged.
The doctors had said that due to spinal fractures left her paralysed and struggling to breathe.
According to Praveen Kumar Laxkar, District Magistrate of the area, she bit her tongue and cut it when her attackers were trying to strangle her.
The barbaric assault on the women is being compared to the 2012 Nirbhaya Gang-Rape Case on the social media platforms.
Cabinet Minister in Uttar Pradesh government Siddharth Nath Singh said, “The incident is very saddening. Our government stands with the victim’s family. The investigation started immediately and four accused have been arrested. Strict action will be taken. The law will take its course,”.
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The woman’s family had accused the Uttar Pradesh police department of not helping them initially and having reacted only after the public outrage.
On the 14th of September, the woman was attacked at her village in Hathras which is around 200 kilometres from Delhi. She was dragged by her dupatta into the fields from a spot where she was cutting grass with her family.
The woman’s brother told, “My mother, sister and elder brother had gone to a field to get some grass. My brother went home earlier with a large bundle of grass, while my mother and sister continued to cut them. The women were a little far from each other. Four-five people came from behind, they threw my sister’s dupatta around her neck and dragged her inside the Bajra (Millet) field,” a leading Indian news agency.
He added, “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,”.
Today, the woman’s brothers alleged more lapses by the police.
One of the brothers said, “We were told that she would be taken to AIIMS but she was taken to Safdarjung,”.
Another brother said, “Her condition was very bad. She was found in the Bajra field, without clothes. Initially, we even wondered if she was bitten by a snake. Three bones on her neck were broken.”
He added, “he had difficulty breathing… She needed oxygen right from the beginning. We reached here (Safdarjung Hospital) yesterday,”.
The Uttar Pradesh Police department has denied the family’s allegations of slow response.
The Superintendent of Police (SP), Hathras, Vikrant Vir told the reporters, “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,”.
