New Delhi, September 29: A 19-year-old Dalit girl, who was gang-raped allegedly by four upper-caste men in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district, has died. The rape survivor was shifted to Safdarjung hospital yesterday after her condition showed no signs of improvement. She was first admitted to Hathras district hospital and later referred to the AMU’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital. Four accused have been arrested in connection with the heinous crime. Atrocities Against Dalits on the Rise in Uttar Pradesh: BSP on Hathras Incident.

In her statement before the magistrate, the girl said that she was raped by four upper-caste men on September 14 when she had gone to collect fodder for animals. The accused had also tried to strangulate her to death as she resisted their attempt and in the process. The teenager was later found brutally injured, with her tongue having a serious cut as she bit it while the accused attempted to strangulate her.

The deceased had stated that Sandip, Ramu, Lavkush and Ravi had raped her and when she resisted their attempts, they tried to strangulate her, leading to the cut in the tongue. Earlier, based on her brother's complaint, the police had booked Sandeep for attempt to murder and under the provisions of the SC/ST Act. The accused was arrested and remanded to judicial custody after the family alleged that he had tried to kill the girl over some old enmity.

After the girl's statement, rape charges were added to the FIR and three more people were booked. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Vice President Deepak Kumar had met the survivor and alleged that the family was being threatened by the accused as well as the police. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati had described the incident as "extremely shameful".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 29, 2020 09:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).