After Hathras, another Dalit woman gang-raped in Uttar Pradesh, dies
What's the story
Just as the atrocities meted on the 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras shocked India, another rape was reported from the same state — Uttar Pradesh. A 22-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by two men, identified as Shahid and Sahil, in Balrampur, 539 kilometer away from Hathras. She succumbed to her injuries on way to a hospital in Lucknow this week.
Series of events
Woman returned home with glucose drips attached to arms
The woman worked at a private firm and didn't return home on Tuesday till late at night. Multiple calls to her from the family went unanswered, revealed Balrampur SP Dev Ranjan Verma. Later, she arrived home, with glucose drips attached to her arms. "She was rushed to a hospital, but died on the way," Verma was quoted by Indian Express.
Quote
Rapists took victim to doctor, sent her home later
"In the complaint, the family members have alleged that two youth raped the girl and then took her to a doctor (?). When her condition deteriorated, instead of taking her to a hospital, they sent her home. We have arrested both the accused," Verma added.
Allegations
The victim's mother claimed her legs and back were "broken"
The woman's mother claimed her daughter was not only raped by two men but also tortured. "The men had injected her with some substance due to which she lost consciousness. Then they raped her...They broke her legs, they broke her back," she said, according to NDTV. A rickshaw driver, the mother claimed, brought her home. The victim could "barely stand or speak."
Details
Her condition was serious, died en route hospital
The mother said the victim told her she "doesn't want to die." "The doctor at the local hospital said her condition is serious and advised that she be taken to Lucknow. But she died when we were near Balrampur town," she revealed. The young woman was cremated on Wednesday. However, the police said the post-mortem report says nothing about her limbs being attacked.
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Details of hands and legs broken untrue: Police
"In the said case, prompt action has been taken by the police with both the accused arrested. Details that hands and legs were broken is not true. The post-mortem report does not mention this," Balrampur Police said.
Twitter Post
Accused have been arrested, further probe underway: Police
थाना को0 गैसड़ी में हुए घटना के संबंध में मृतका के भाई की तहरीर पर अभियोग पंजीकृत करते हुए दोनों नामजद अभियुक्तों को गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया है । अन्य जांच एवं विधिक कार्यवाही की जा रही है। हाथ, पैर व कमर तोड़ने वाली बात असत्य है। @Uppolice @AdgGkr @dgpup @PrashantK_IPS90 pic.twitter.com/0LG2yHMguz
— BALRAMPUR POLICE (@balrampurpolice) September 30, 2020
Claims
She was allegedly raped at a grocery store
A report in India Today said the victim was raped in a room of the grocery store and the owner was the alleged mastermind. The victim's sandals were found from the shop in Gaisari village. The daily claimed the accused had called a doctor to the store, but he refused to cater to the victim in the absence of a guardian or female relative.
What happened
When doctor refused treatment, he was asked to return
Reportedly, the doctor said Sahil called him around 5 pm and took him to his uncle Shahid's shop. There, he was told the victim is a "family member" and a daughter of a government secretary. After he refused to treat her, they asked the doctor to return to his clinic. "I don't know where they went after that," he told India Today.
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The victim was lying on sofa: Doctor
"When I went there she was lying on a sofa and kept complaining of stomach ache. I told her I won't treat her because no guardian is present. When I was there, there was no glucose drip on her arm," the doctor claimed.
Looking back
Before Balrampur incident, Hathras episode shamed India
The Balrampur shocker comes close on the heels of the Hathras Delhi/story">gang-rape incident. In the Hathras case, the victim was dragged by her dupatta by upper-caste men last month. She was raped by four men, her spinal cord suffered major injuries, and she died at Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi, on Tuesday. On the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, she was cremated, in a haste.