13-year-old Dalit set ablaze in Telangana for resisting rape attempt by employer, battles for life

A 13-year-old Dalit working as a domestic help was set on fire, allegedly by her employer in Telangana for resisting his rape attempt, police said in Hyderabad on Monday. The 26-year-old man was taken into custody on Monday based on statement of the girl who is battling for her life at a private hospital after suffering severe burns, police said. According to a report by  NDTV, the teen suffered 70 percent burns. She has identified the accused as the son of a household where she was hired as a caretaker of a bed-ridden man. The girl also told the police that the accused’s pregnant wife was not in town when he decided to take advantage of the situation. He ripped her clothes in an attempted rape, but when the survivor resisted and tried to get away, he doused her with petrol and set her ablaze, as per NDTV. Though the teen suffered the assault on 18 September, the crime came to light only on Monday after she regained consciousness and told her parents.  Her parents then then approached the police, The News Minute  reported. The report added that the accused fled the spot after the crime and it was his family that had admitted the victim discreetly and had tried to bury the matter. The accused’s family first tried to keep the matter under covers, but later informed the girl’s family that she had suffered burns during an ‘accident’ while at work in their home. The crime remained unreported as the teen was unconscious, but she told her parents what occurred on Monday after regaining some strength,  The News Indian Express reported. “When I was in the room, he came inside and asked me to sleep with him. When I refused, he forced himself on me. I struggled a lot. He tore my clothes and later set me ablaze and ran away from the place,” the teen told her father on Monday, according to The New Indian Express.  The police recorded her statement in the presence of a magistrate and has said that the girl would be shifted to another hospital for better treatment. Police said it will also initiate action against the private hospital where the girl was undergoing treatment as they had failed to report the matter. PTI reported that action would be initiated against them by health authorities for allegedly hiding the details and aiding in crime. “No one had approached police till Monday,” a senior police official told PTI, adding that the teen’s statement was recorded and the accused has been booked on charges of attempt to rape and murder. With inputs from PTI