Class 5 student dies after being gang-raped and set ablaze

A class five student was gang-raped and set on fire by three men— including two minors— in Assam's Nagaon district Friday, March 23. 

The girl, who suffered 90 percent burn injuries, was battling for her life in a hospital. She succumbed to the injuries late Friday night

The police have nabbed the two minors, aged 11 and 10. The third culprit, who is 21-years old is currently absconding.

The juveniles said that they sexually assaulted the minor, when she was alone at home. "The minors have admitted to the crime. During questioning, they said the girl was alone at home after returning from school when the youth Zakir Hussain raped her. The juveniles then joined in and the three of them later set her on fire," the Times of India quoted the police as saying.  

The cop also added that the victim's parents were at work when the incident took place. The girl had given her statement to the police before she died.

"We have recorded a dying declaration... Based on that two of the accused have been caught; they will be produced in court today," Shankar Raimedhi, Superintendent of Police, Nagaon, told NDTV.

Raimedhi added that a medical test to confirm whether the minor was raped could not be conducted "due to the severity of the injuries" of the victim.

It is being suspected that the sexual assault is a case of personal enmity between Hussain and the victim's family, reported TOI. The two minors have been booked under Juvenile Justice Act.

The incident comes just a few days after a 35-year-old woman was gang-raped by eight men in front of her husband in the same district. The main culprit offered help to the couple, who were unable to find a transport at night. He took them to an isolated place on the pretext of helping them find a shelter, where he and seven other men gang-raped her.

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