Uttar Pradesh: 19-Yr-Old Dalit Woman Dies Nearly Two Weeks After Gang-Rape, Torture By Four Men

A 19-year-old woman from the Scheduled Caste community from western Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, who was allegedly brutally assaulted and gang-raped by four caste men from her village, died nearly two weeks after the attack. She was fighting for her life in the intensive care unit of a government hospital.

The incident took place on September 14 at a village in the district, some 200 KM from Delhi.

Doctors at the hospital said that the woman's tongue was cut and she has multiple fractures all over her body.

All four accused have been arrested and sent to jail under the charge of gang-rape and murder.

However, the woman's family alleged police inaction in the beginning and that they only acted after there was outrage over the case.

"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. There was bajra crop on either side of where they were. Soon, both women became a little distant from each other. Four-five people came from behind, they threw my sister's dupatta around her neck and dragged her inside the bajra field," the woman's brother told NDTV.

"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," he added.

The Uttar Pradesh Police said they acted fast in the case. "We arrested one accused soon and once we managed to get the names of three other accused, we arrested them too. We will complete the investigation soon and the SP has requested the district judge to commit the case to a fast-track court," Hathras police officer Prakash Kumar said in a video statement.

Also Read: UP: Teenage Dalit Girl Fights For Life In ICU After Gangrape By 4 Upper Caste Men