19-year-old Dalit woman from Uttar Pradesh succumbed to injuries at a hospital in New Delhi after she was allegedly gangraped by four upper caste men in Hathras district on September 14.The victim was initially admitted to a district hospital 15 days ago with her tongue cut off and spinal cord severely injured, among other serious injuries. She was later shifted to Aligarh hospital for treatment, before moving to Safdarjung Hospital in the national capital. The police said the victim had been dragged into a field and gangraped. She had also been strangled with her dupatta.Four upper caste men of the woman’s village in Hathras district, who were charged with gangrape and attempt to murder, apart from charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, have been arrested.
They were arrested based on a statement provided by the victim on September 23, when she briefly regained consciousness. She had accused three men – Sandeep, his uncle Ravi (35) and their friend Luv Kush, of committing the crime. The victim’s mother, who had gone with her to a field nearby to cut grass for their cows before the incident took place. The family alleged the main accused, Sandeep, and his family had “always harassed Dalits in their area”. Nearly two decades ago, Sandeep’s grandfather had been booked under the SC/ST Act and served three months in prison for allegedly thrashing the victim’s grandfather over a petty issue.The victim’s brother said the incident of 19 years ago had left rancour between the families, “but nothing ever happened”. “They are upper castes and have always called us names. We ignore them. Sandeep is an alcoholic who harasses women, but nobody ever files a complaint,” he said.