Dalit Woman Gangraped In UP’s Hathras District Dies

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest after the death of a rape victim inside the premises of Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi on September 29, 2020

A 19-year-old Dalit woman, who was raped by four men in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, died on Tuesday morning, sources said. She was shifted to AIIMS, Delhi, a day earlier after her condition showed no signs of improvement.

The woman was gangraped a fortnight ago, following which she was admitted to the AMU’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JNMC). The accused had also tried to strangulate her to death as she resisted their attempt.

Giving details of the incident, Hathras Superintendent of Police Vikrant Vir had said the woman had gone to the fields with her mother on September 14 and went missing soon after. The teenager was later found brutally injured, with her tongue having a serious cut as she bit it while the accused attempted to strangulate her, according to the officer.

Dr Harris Manzur Khan, the superintendent of JNMC, was quoted as saying by PTI that she is on ventilator. A spokesman of the hospital said that the woman’s legs were completely paralysed and arms partially paralysed.

After her family members expressed their desire to take her to Delhi, she was referred to AIIMS on Monday morning, he said.

Congress’ UP incharge Priyanka Gandhi attacked the Yogi Adityanath government over crime against women, saying that the accused were roaming around freely.

Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad, who managed to dodge the Uttar Police police on Sunday and reached JN Medical College in Aligarh to meet the gang rape survivor, had also demanded that she be shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Science and a compensation of Rs 1 crore be paid to her family.

The Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) was deployed at the house of the survivor. All four accused were arrested and the Kotwali in-charge in Hathras was removed and sent to the police lines.

BSP chief Mayawati had tweeted targeting the state government over the gang rape of the woman.

“A Dalit girl in UP’s Hathras district was severely beaten up and then she was gang-raped, which is extremely-shameful and extremely-condemnable,” Mayawati tweeted in Hindi. “Even daughters and sisters from other sections of society are not safe in the state. The government must pay attention towards it. This is the demand of the BSP,” she added.