New Delhi:
Amid nation-wide outrage over the murder of Unnao rape victim, a 17-year-old gang-rape victim in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of her cousin’s house. According to the police, the girl was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by two men - Sunny Balmiki (19) and his uncle Lala Balmiki (26) – last month.
The girl had hanged herself on Friday night when her family members had gone outside, Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) Anurag Vats said. No suicide note has been found from the spot. The incident has come a day after the death of Unnao rape victim, who was set on fire by the men accused of raping her a year ago.
She was on her way to attend a hearing in the rape case when the accused doused her with kerosene and set aflame. The woman sustained 90 per cent burn injuries and died during treatment at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital. Following her death, massive protests were held across the state and a candle march was carried out in national capital Delhi over the incident. Congress workers stormed the streets in Lucknow demanding justice for rape victim.
Protests were also held at the village of Unnao rape victim as two ministers from Yogi Adityanath’s Cabinet arrived there to visit the family members of the woman, who died Friday night after being set ablaze by the men accused of raping her. Angry locals shouted "why now" slogans as soon as the convoy of two ministers – Kamal Rani Varun and Swami Prasad Maurya – entered the village. The police had to remove protesters in order to facilitate their visit.
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Workers of the Congress party launched massive protests in Lucknow against the rape case. The Uttar Pradesh police lathi charged on the Congress workers, who staged a protest against the Yogi Adityanath government in Hazratganj over the rising cases of crime against women in the state. UPCC Ajay Kumar Lallu was dragged by the police and detained with other party leaders and workers.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who visited the family member of the deceased Unnao rape victim, said that the accused had tortured her father and had been threatening her uncle for over a year.
"The family told me about the ordeal that they are going through since last year. The culprits have threatened and harassed them. They even threatened a 10-year-old in their family, and burned their farm," she said and asked authorities why no action was taken against the accused for harassing the family.
The Congress leader also claimed a connection between the ruling BJP and the accused. "Victim's whole family has been constantly harassed since last year. I have heard that the culprits have some BJP connection. That is why they were being shielded. There is no fear among criminals in the state," she alleged.
