Muzaffarnagar tense as woman commits suicide after her gangrape video shared on social media

A national highway in Uttar Pradesh was blocked on Wednesday by hundreds of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and residents of Chhapra village, which is in Muzaffarnagar district, after a 40-year-old ASHA, a mother of three, committed suicide as the video of her gangrape was circulated on social media.

The protestors demanded Rs 20 lakh compensation for the family, a government job for her husband, life insurance for other ASHA workers and capital punishment for the accused in the case, reported Hindustan Times.

"The district administration has given a meagre compensation of Rs 30,000 to the family. The woman ran the house as her husband is bedridden. They have three children. I have asked villagers to help the family and I, too, will personally help them," Sanjeev Baliyan, MP and state minister, told The Indian Express.

The protestors calmed down after Baliyan assured her 16-year-old son of a job and took on the financial responsibility of educating the victim's two daughters. 

The husband of the deceased filed an FIR against Shahid, a resident of Chhapra, and others after the suicide.

The woman ended her life on Tuesday after a 30-second video of the gangrape was circulated on WhatsApp.

"The accused (Shahid) was arrested late on Tuesday night and, during initial interrogation, he admitted to raping the victim as well as circulating the video clip. He has been sent to judicial remand for 14 days," Pradeep Gupta, Superintendent of Police (City), Muzaffarnagar told The Indian Express. "There is tension in the village. It also involves two communities, so it is a bit sensitive. We have ensured heavy police deployment," he said.

The other accused have not been apprehended yet. 

Shahid has been booked under the charges of rape, abetting suicide and the Information Technology Act. 

Another ASHA worker, on account of anonymity, revealed to the Indian Express that the 40-year-old woman had gone into shock following the incident and had not informed her family about it until the video was circulated.

The rape reportedly followed months of harassment by the accused, who the victim had come to know when she visited his house as his sister-in-law was giving birth.

Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate Nikhil Chand Shukla confirmed that he has requested the state government to compensate the victim's family, reported The Indian Express.