A 19-year-old teenage girl, gang-raped and tortured by four upper-caste men named Sandeep Gehlot, Ramkumar Sisodia, Ravi Sisodia, and Luvkush Sisodia – in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras two weeks ago, died yesterday morning at a hospital in Delhi. The woman had suffered multiple fractures, paralysis and a deep gash in her tongue in the savage assault compared by many to the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape.
Injuries to her neck had left her paralyzed and struggling to breathe, said doctors. She bit her tongue when her attackers were trying to strangle her.
Here’s what she and her family stated
According to her brothers, even in that critical state, all she wanted was to go home and had said it often in the hospital.
The woman was attacked on September 14 at her village in Hathras, some 200 km from Delhi. In her statement to the police, she said she was dragged by her dupatta into the fields from a spot where she had been cutting grass with her mother and brother.
“My mother, sister, and elder brother had gone to a field to get some grass. My brother went home earlier with a large bundle of grass, while my mother and sister continued to cut them. The women were a little far from each other. Four-five people came from behind, threw my sister’s dupatta around her neck, and dragged her inside the bajra field,” said the victim’s brother as per the reports.
When the family searched, they found her in the fields, naked and bleeding, with horrific injuries. “My mother covered her up and we went to the police and lay her down there. Three bones on her neck were broken. She had difficulty breathing… She needed oxygen right from the beginning,” he said.
“They had raped her. The police did not help us initially… they did not take quick action. They acted only after four-five days,” he said, accusing the police of reacting only after public outrage.
UP Police is under scrutiny
The UP police is under scrutiny over alleged lapses throughout the case. They initially registered an attempted murder case but added rape charges only after the woman’s formal statement.
Last night, UP Police burned the body of the girl forcibly while they kept her family behind closed doors. They ignored the plea of the family members to have one last moment with their daughter, and abused them while blaming them, “You have to admit it is the fault of you people as well.”
After burning her body, the police has taken her father and mother to an undisclosed location. It could be speculated that the family will now be intimidated and manipulated, and you shouldn’t be surprised when this takes the same turn as the rapist BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar who even got the family tortured and killed after he had raped their daughter.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed UP Government
She tweeted, “You are accountable for the safety of women in UP”, targeting UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
In response to the criticism, UP minister Siddharth Nath Singh said:
“The incident is very saddening. Our government stands with the victim’s family. The investigation started immediately and four accused have been arrested. Strict action will be taken. The law will take its course.”
The rapists have been arrested
The rapists have been identified as Ramkumar Sisodia, Sandeep Gehlot, his uncle Ravi Sisodia and friend Luv Kush Sisodia. The victim’s spinal cord and neck were damaged in the incident as she was strangled with her dupatta. The accused also allegedly bit the 19-year-old girl’s tongue while assaulting her.