A minor rape survivor, who self-immolated after being forced by one of her rapists, out on bail, to marry him succumbed to burn injuries on Wednesday. She died after a 16-day-long battle in Delhi's Safdarjung hospital.
The rapist had also asked her to withdraw the case against him. The girl, who belongs to Farrukhabad, UP, put herself on fire on November 7 under Fatehgarh police station limits.
“The main accused and his brother were arrested and sent to jail on November 22 after a fresh FIR was lodged against them under IPC section 306 (abetment of suicide). Both will soon be charged under the stringent National Security Act,” TOI quoted SP (Farrukhabad) Ashok Kumar Meena as saying.
The 16-year-old girl suffered 70 percent burns and was taken to a district hospital and thereafter referred to the Safdarjung hospital, where she was put on ventilator.
Her father, who is a farmer, told TOI that he was informed by doctors at around 11:30 pm on Wednesday that his daughter was no more.
The girl’s body was brought to her village on Thursday morning where she was cremated in the presence of a heavy police force.
The case dates to January 8, 2021, when the girl was abducted by the two accused while she was out in the fields. In her police complaint, the girl had mentioned that she was returning home when both the men came from behind, dragged her to an isolated place, and violated her.
“I cried and pleaded to let me go but they pushed me to the ground,” she had stated.
“They then took turns to rape me and fled the scene leaving me unconscious. Later, I woke up in the hospital,” she had said in her statement. The two accused managed to get bail earlier this year in August.
A few weeks ago, when the girl was out in the market, one of the rapists and his brother blocked her way threatening her to withdraw the case or face dire consequences. They even asked her to marry one of them.
On the issue of compensation, Additional district magistrate, Subhash Chandra Prajapati, said that they are yet to receive any instruction from the government to provide compensation to the girl’s family. “We will forward the matter to senior officials,” he added.