Uttar Pradesh: Woman Found By Canal With Face Slashed In Meerut, Locals Film Her

An injured woman was found by a canal in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut in the evening on August 17, with her throat and face slashed with a sharp weapon. However, instead of rushing her to a hospital, locals filmed the woman, in her 20s, and even "interviewed" her while waiting for the police to arrive.

The police finally took her to a hospital, and she is reportedly stable now. Based on her statement, two men have been arrested for their involvement in the crime -- her brother and a relative.

According to the woman, she was attacked because her family was against her decision to marry the man she was in a relationship with.

This incident comes at a time when the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up a new "Woman and Child Security Organization" to tackle the increasing number of crimes against women in the state. The government said in a press release that the unit would be headed by a police officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police - the second senior-most police rank.

Following this incident, the UP police appealed to people to rush victims of assault to a hospital instead of filming them.

"The time between someone getting injured and that person being taken to hospital is called 'golden hour'. It's a crucial time. The Supreme Court has ruled that anyone who takes such a person to the hospital will not be questioned. So I appeal to everyone, instead of making videos please take such a person to the hospital - please do not wait for the police to arrive," NDTV quoted senior police officer Avinash Pandey as saying.

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh: 13-Year-Old Dalit Girl Raped, Strangled To Death, Two Arrested