Another minor raped and murdered, this time in UP's Etah
As India continues to simmer in the wake of the horrific rape-and-murders of minors in Kathua and Surat, another girl, 7 years old, was brutally raped and killed during a wedding in Uttar Pradesh's Etah on Tuesday. The 19-year-old accused, identified as Sonu, is the son of a tent-provider. He has been arrested and sent to 14-day judicial custody. Here are the details.
The victim was attending a wedding with her family in Etah on Monday night. However, she went missing at about 1am. Sonu allegedly took her away to an under-construction house nearby, raped her and then murdered her to avoid getting caught, reported Hindustan Times. The girl had died by the time her family members found her at the crime spot. Sonu was nabbed immediately.
The victim's father said he didn't want to attend the wedding but his daughter insisted that they go. "She might have shouted for help but no one could hear her due to the loud music," he told HT. "The accused tried to hide her body but her feet were visible. I rushed her to the hospital but the doctors pronounced her dead," he added.
According to the post-mortem, the victim died of asphyxia and strangulation. Angry, her family blocked a road in protest and demanded strict action against the accused. They were given a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh under Mahila Samman Fund, said Etah's district magistrate Amit Kishore. She was buried at Sainik Padav near Ramlila ground in Delhi at about 7pm on Tuesday.
One child is sexually abused in India every 15 minutes, claims government data. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, incidents of child rape shot up by over 82% in 2016 as compared to 2015. The maximum number of such crimes (15% of the national total) in 2016 were reported in Uttar Pradesh.
