A 14-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped and set ablaze by some miscreants in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar on Friday, May 24. The victim's body was found in a charred state at her house.
According to reports, the girl used to work at a brick kiln and stayed at a makeshift room. The autopsy report suggested that the girl died of asphyxiation and burn injuries.
The UP police have booked seven people for the heinous crime, although none of them has been arrested. The police said that they have not yet arrested the accused since they are still gathering evidence of the incident.
The girl along with her family used to work at the brick kiln and lived in a room adjacent to it. The victim's father had gone to the town to get some medicines on Friday evening after her mother fell ill. He left her along with her brother, 12, and the incident took place after he left the kiln. He was informed the next day that his daughter's body was found in a charred state
According to the police, the girl's family did not suspect rape initially but filed a complaint against the brick kiln owner and six others claiming so. The father claimed that she was taken by two men who work in the area and was gang-raped, after which they burnt her alive. The girl's slippers and some clothes were recovered from the crime spot.
"An FIR has been registered on the basis of a complaint by the victim's father against the brick kiln owner and six others on charges of gang rape, murder and sections of the SC/ST Atrocities Act. The allegations of rape have not been confirmed. But the investigation is pending and arrests will be made as per evidence," said the area's Circle Officer, reports The Indian Express.
The girl's father also claimed that since the makeshift room does not have electricity or any other inflammable materials, how can the room catch fire. He alleged the accused to have set the dress on fire as to misrepresent it as an accident. He claimed that everyone knows what happened with his daughter but choose to remain silent and there is immense pressure on anyone who wants to speak out.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has taken cognizance of the case, police said. A statement of the girl's father will also be recorded before a magistrate, adds the report.
