Rape Survivor Set Ablaze In UP’s Unnao, 3 Arrested

Lucknow: Even as the country is outraged at the gang rape and brutal murder of a woman vet in Hyderabad recently, a 23-year-old rape survivor was set on fire in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district on Thursday morning.

The five perpetrators included two of the men charged with raping the woman earlier. The incident happened when the victim was on way to a court for a hearing in the rape case.

Police said the woman has suffered 60-70 per cent burn injuries. She was now undergoing treatment at a specialised hospital in Lucknow where her condition was stated to be critical.

Three men, including one of the rape-accused, have been arrested for setting the woman on fire, said police. The other two are absconding.

“We got the information in the morning. The woman gave the names of the accused. We have formed teams to arrest the accused. Three men have already been arrested. We are on a lookout for two other men,” NDTV quoted a senior police official in Unnao, Vikrant Vir, as saying.

In March, the woman had lodged an FIR against two fellow villagers, accusing them of raping her and also filming the act. The FIR was filed in the neighbouring Rae Bareli district reportedly after the intervention of a local court.

One of the accused was later arrested, but he had managed to get bail. The other accused was on the run. Police said they have attached his property and issued a lookout notice against him.

“Our first priority is to save the woman. The criminal justice system has three-four compartments, but we do not work like that. I do not want to blame anyone. The fact is that we did arrest one of the accused. I will get more facts on the case but I am sure that the local police would have opposed the bail application of the rape-accused,” UP DGP OP Singh told the media.