14-year-old Dalit girl 'raped and burnt to death' in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar; police books seven accused

The Uttar Pradesh Police Tuesday booked the owner of a brick kiln and six others accused of allegedly raping and setting ablaze a 14-year-old Dalit girl at the factory in Muzaffarnagar district. According to The Indian Express, the girl’s charred body was found last Friday at her makeshift room next to the brick kiln where she worked. [caption id=“attachment_4494459” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. AFP.[/caption] “The 14-year-old girl, who worked at the brick kiln at a village in the district, was found dead on Saturday, following which her parents had registered a complaint in Kotwali police station,” SHO Anil Kapervan told PTI. Kapervan said seven people, including the owner of the factory, were booked for raping and setting her on fire. “The post-mortem report suggests that the girl died due to burn injuries and suffocation,” the SHO said. However, citing area’s Circle Officer, The Indian Express report said that the allegations of rape have not been confirmed yet. According to the victim’s father, both his wife and him were away from the village on Thursday for a day to purchase medicine. They were informed the following morning about their daughter’s charred body that was found in their home, after the accused allegedly set her ablaze in the night. Police claimed the family initially did not suspect gangrape but, later submitted a complaint on Sunday against the brick kiln owner and other accused. The family claimed that the victim was first raped in their absence and later burnt to death. The girl’s slippers and some clothes were recovered from the spot. A picture of the victim’s body also showed rope marks on her ankles, the report cited sources as saying. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has taken cognizance of the case, police said. A statement of the girl’s father will also be recorded before a magistrate. With inputs from PTI