Lucknow:
A woman in the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh died of burns on Tuesday, three months after being raped, police said. A relative and two friends of the defendant – who is in prison – were arrested after the woman’s father alleged that they set her on fire, police added.
The defendant’s uncle and his friends had pressured her to withdraw the case, Senior Police Commissioner Santosh Kumar Singh told reporters.
“The (rape) incident took place on August 15th. The accused was arrested and he is still in prison. This morning at 8 a.m., the woman arrived at the hospital with burns. She was sent to Delhi for treatment, where she died. He said on Tuesday.
“Until 11 a.m., it was known that the young girl had set herself on fire. However, her family alleged that she had been set on fire by others … a fair investigation will be carried out. ‘instant, three people have been arrested in the case,’ he added.
Two police officers were suspended for alleged negligence in handling the case, he said, adding that two senior officers were also withdrawn from active service.
According to a complaint filed by the woman on August 15, she was raped by a man who came to her village to guard a mango orchard.
It comes weeks after a 20-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped and murdered by four upper caste men in Hathras district, UP. The incident had sparked an uproar across the country after the victim’s body was cremated by police in the dead of night, allegedly without the consent of his family.
