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India: woman set on fire on way to testify against alleged rapists
Source: The Guardian
India: woman set on fire on way to testify against alleged rapists
Woman left with 70% burns in latest brutal attack as film director’s tweets on rape spark outcry
Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent
Thu 5 Dec 2019 12.57 GMT
An Indian woman has been set on fire on her way to a court hearing to testify against two men who had allegedly raped her.
The 23-year-old is in a critical condition in hospital with 70% burns after she was set upon by five men in the city of Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. They dragged her to a field, doused her with petrol and set her alight.
It is the latest in a series of brutal attacks against women in India which have caused a wave of outrage across the country. Last week, a 26-year-old veterinary doctor in Hyderabad was gang-raped, then asphyxiated to death and her body burned and dumped. Days later, in the state of Bihar, a teenager was allegedly gang-raped and killed before her body was set on fire. In response, thousands have taken to the streets in protest this week, demanding better protection of women.
In Thursday’s assault, two of the attackers were said by police to be the same men the victim filed rape charges against in March. The young woman was on her way to a hearing to testify against her alleged rapists when the five men grabbed her by the railway station. One of the accused was out on bail while the other had been on the run from police.
“The two men set fire to the 23-year-old alive to take revenge,” said a senior police officer, SK Bhagat.
-snip-
Woman left with 70% burns in latest brutal attack as film director’s tweets on rape spark outcry
Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent
Thu 5 Dec 2019 12.57 GMT
An Indian woman has been set on fire on her way to a court hearing to testify against two men who had allegedly raped her.
The 23-year-old is in a critical condition in hospital with 70% burns after she was set upon by five men in the city of Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. They dragged her to a field, doused her with petrol and set her alight.
It is the latest in a series of brutal attacks against women in India which have caused a wave of outrage across the country. Last week, a 26-year-old veterinary doctor in Hyderabad was gang-raped, then asphyxiated to death and her body burned and dumped. Days later, in the state of Bihar, a teenager was allegedly gang-raped and killed before her body was set on fire. In response, thousands have taken to the streets in protest this week, demanding better protection of women.
In Thursday’s assault, two of the attackers were said by police to be the same men the victim filed rape charges against in March. The young woman was on her way to a hearing to testify against her alleged rapists when the five men grabbed her by the railway station. One of the accused was out on bail while the other had been on the run from police.
“The two men set fire to the 23-year-old alive to take revenge,” said a senior police officer, SK Bhagat.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/05/india-woman-set-on-fire-on-way-to-testify-against-alleged-rapists
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