Uttar Pradesh: Teenager allegedly raped and set on fire in Fatehpur district
The 18-year-old girl is said to be have suffered 90% burns and is in a critical condition at a hospital in Kanpur.
An 18-year-old girl in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh accused her distant relative of raping her and then setting her on fire on Saturday, reported PTI. The man is yet to be arrested.
The girl is said to be have suffered 90% burns and is in a critical condition at a hospital in Kanpur. “I was raped and set on fire when I was alone at home,” she told NDTV.
Medical Officer of Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital Dr Anurag Rajoria said the girl was on oxygen support. “Once she is stable we will shift her to the burn ward,” he added.
The incident happened in a village under the Hussainganj police station, Circle Officer Kapil Dev Mishra told PTI. The police registered a case based on the complaint filed by the girl’s father.
Initial investigation has revealed that the girl and the accused may have been involved in a relationship, said the police. The panchayat reportedly asked them to stay separately till they were married.
“A panchayat was held this morning in the village,” Sujeet Pandey, the additional director general of police, Prayagraj Zone, told NDTV. “The houses of the girl and the accused are next to each other. In the panchayat, the girl and the accused were present, the girl’s parents and many people from the village were also attending.”
Fatehpur is a neighbouring district of Unnao where a 23-year-old rape complainant died after being set on fire by her alleged rapists earlier this month. The woman was allegedly raped by two brothers in Unnao last year. She had filed a case against them in March. One of the accused was on the run and the other was released on bail.
The woman was on her way to a local court for a hearing in her rape case on December 5 when she was attacked by five men – two of whom were the rape accused – and set on fire. All five men were arrested within hours.
The woman was airlifted and admitted to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital, but died on December 6 night.