In Another Chilling Case, Rape Survivor Set Ablaze on Way to Court in Unnao, 5 Arrested

Lucknow: Amid the ongoing country-wide outrage over the horrific gangrape and murder of 26-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad, a similar incident in Sindurpur village of Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh, has created shock waves across the country.

According to Unnao police, a 23-year-old rape survivor was allegedly set ablaze by five men including one who had raped her in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday morning. All the five men have been arrested, according to a PTI report.

The woman -- who was raped in December last year -- received 60-70% burn injuries and is being treated in a government hospital in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police O P Singh said.

Meanwhile, UP Chief minister, while taking cognisance of the incident, has directed that medical assistance be provided to the victim on government expenses. He also asked divisional commissioner and inspector general Lucknow range to visit the spot and present their report by Thursday evening.

In Unnao, Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikrant Vir said the rape victim was allegedly torched by five men after pouring kerosene on her while she was on her way to catch a train to Bainswara in the adjoining Rae Bareli district to attend the hearing in the rape case. The gruesome incident occurred between 430 a.m to 6 a.m today, he added.

Vir said the rape victim had been referred to Lucknow’s Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital and her condition remains critical.

The victim had filed an FIR with the Unnao police on March 4, 2019 in which she had alleged that she was raped by one Shivam Trivedi on gun point on December 12, 2018. Shivam, who is out on bail, is one among those who allegedly torched the girl was out on bail.

The girl’s father told Newsclick over telephone that Shivam, the rape accused, had attempted to kidnap the victim and had raped her in the fields last year. The girl belongs to the Vishwakarma caste while the accused belong to upper caste.

Reacting to this incident, Congress’ East UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted that Union Home Minister and UP’s Chief Minister lied that the condition of law and order in the state has improved. “Seeing such incidents on a daily basis is enraging,” she said in her tweet.

It may be mentioned that as per the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Uttar Pradesh has been the most unsafe state in the country recording the maximum crime against women. In 2017, the state recorded 56,011 cases against women.

It may also be mentioned that the 2017 Unnao rape case in which the Central Bureau of Investigation filed its chargesheet in September last against Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Sengar, rocked the nation when she met with an accident a few months ago.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter and said that the government should take the responsibility of this incident and resign on moral grounds. In his tweet has also urged the court for the security and medical treatment of the victim.

उन्नाव की दुष्कर्म पीड़िता को जिंदा जलाये जाने के दुस्साहस की नैतिक ज़िम्मेदारी लेते हुए प्रदेश की भाजपा सरकार का सामूहिक इस्तीफ़ा होना चाहिए.

माननीय न्यायालय से गुहार है कि वो इस घटना की गंभीरता को देखते हुए पीड़िता के समुचित उपचार व सुरक्षा की तत्काल व्यवस्था के निर्देश दे.

According to PTI, the victim gave her account in a statement to Sub Divisional Magistrate Dayashankar Pathak. Recapping the incident, she said she was going to Rae Bareli to pursue her case. When she reached the Gaura turn, near her home, Harishankar Trivedi, Ram Kishore Trivedi, Umesh Bajpai, Shivam Trivedi and Shubham Trivedi attacked her and set her afire. She alleged that Shivam and Shubham Trivedi had abducted and raped her in December 2018. However, the FIR was registered in March.

Aflame, she ran for a while before eyewitnesses saw her and informed police, which sent her to the Community Health Centre from where she was sent to the district hospital before being referred to Lucknow, police was quoted as saying by PTI.