Girl allegedly gang raped by five men, shot at in Lucknow; police arrest four accused

A 19-year-old girl was allegedly gang raped by five men and shot at for trying to escape in a village near Lucknow raising concern over the law and order situation in the state. The incident is from Wednesday, when the girl had gone to the fields to relieve herself at around 7.30 pm. She was allegedly assaulted by a group of five men who shot at her when she tried to fight them back, Satish Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Lucknow told CNN-News18. The police have arrested four of the men in connection with the case on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_4102105” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] The girl had reportedly travelled from New Delhi to appear for her Bachelors of Education (B.Ed) entrance exam. In a bid to escape, the girl got shot on the face, near her nose. As of now, the accused have been booked under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for sexually assaulting the girl. Senior officials told CNN-News18 the FIR was lodged as per the victim’s complaint. Further charges will be framed after the victim’s medical examination reports are released. She is currently undergoing treatment at the trauma centre in a local hospital, according to ANI.  The incident also raises concerns over security for women in the state governed by BJP-led Yogi Adityanath despite presence of anti-Romeo squads and other safety measures. The incident in Uttar Pradesh comes shortly after a 16-year-old schoolgirl was abducted and raped inside a hotel in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh by two men on Thursday. The police has registered a case under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act against the accused. According to the complaint lodged by the victim’s father, her daughter was abducted and taken to a hotel in the district, where she was raped by one of the accused. Later they dropped her off near her school. Police said that a hunt was on to nab the accused.