A 15-year-old Dalit girl, who was allegedly gang-raped, has ended her life by hanging herself on Tuesday, 13 October, in the Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh.
This comes days after she was found bound and gagged in a plants’ nursery in the district, and the police did not act on the complaint of her mother, who had spotted three men leaving the spot where the girl was found, the girl’s mother said.
Chitrakoot Superintendent of Police (SP) Ankit Mittal said that the 15-year-old girl hanged herself in her house in the Manikpur area on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported.
Circle officer (CO), City, Rajnish Yadav told ANI that a case under the SC/ST Act is being registered and stern action will be taken against the accused. He further stated that medical reports of girl are awaited.
The police have also registered an FIR of rape, abatment of suicide, wrongful restraining and under the charges in Section 3/4 of the POCSO Act, the Hindustan Times reported.
The mother of the deceased alleged that the girl ended her life as her complaint was not registered. However, the police claimed that the family did not file a complaint earlier.
The victim’s mother stated that the girl went missing on 8 October, and was found in the nursery with her hands and legs tied and mouth gagged. She also saw three men, who had their faces covered, leaving the nursery, the Hindustan Times reported.
According to the Hindustan Times report, one person has been identified and taken into custody.
Asking for prompt action, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said: “The district administration has been instructed to ensure prompt and effective action in connection with the incidents of Agra, Chitrakoot and Pratapgarh. Senior officials should immediately check the opportunity. Complete the investigation proceedings in time and ensure the safety of the victims' families,” Adityanath tweeted in Hindi.
Minor Raped in Hathras
Meanwhile, another incident has come to the fore, where a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her relative in Sasni, in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, on Tuesday.
According to ANI, the police has arrested the accused.
“A case has been registered,” news agency ANI quoted Circle Officer Ruchi Gupta as saying.
The incident comes after a 19-year old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped and brutalised by four men in Hathras on 14 September, and her mortal remains forcibly cremated on the night of 30 September.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday, 11 October, said it had registered a case and taken over the investigation of the alleged Hathras gang-rape and murder. The CBI said that it has constituted a special team to probe the case.
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday, 1 October, took suo motu cognisance. It held a hearing on Monday, 12 October, where it lashed out at the police and district administration for cremating the woman’s body at night.
(With inputs from the Hindustan Times)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)