Telangana: A 13-Year-Old Set Ablaze For Resisting Rape, Dies After 27 Days

A minor  girl was set ablaze for allegedly resisting a rape attempt by a 26-year-old man in Khammam district, Telangana. The 13-year-old girl battled for her life for more than 20 days, but she died at a private hospital in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The victim reportedly worked as a domestic help at the accused's residence in Mustafanagar. During the probe, it was revealed that the incident took place on September 18, 2020. However, it came to light in the first week of October when the minor's health started deteriorating and her condition became critical while she was being treated secretly at a private hospital in Khammam.

According to reports, the girl had 80 percent burn injuries when she was shifted to Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad on October 5, 2020. Later, she was again transferred to a corporate hospital for better treatment. However, she succumbed to burns. The commissioner of police told Hindustan Times, “Yes, the girl succumbed to her burn injuries in Hyderabad. We have now booked a case of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.”

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The minor girl told the police that the man attempted to drag her into his bedroom, when she resisted his sexual advances he beat her up and set her ablaze by pouring petrol on her. The accused then fled the house but returned after a few hours and admitted the victim in a private hospital for treatment. The police said, "couple of days later, he informed the girl’s parents, who live at village Pallegudem, a few kilometres away from Khammam town."

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The police sprung into action after they received specific information from the hospital that the victim had received burn injuries. Later, Khammam commissioner of police Taufseer Iqbal told that the hospital was kept under the impression that she had suffered accidental burns.

The police have arrested the accused and booked him under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and relevant sections of the IPC, including for attempt to rape and murder and also for trying to suppress the information about the incident.

The brutal gangrape and murder of the Dalit woman in Hathras has sparked nationwide outrage and demand for justice. As per the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India recorded 88 rape cases every day in 2019. A total of 32,033 rape cases were reported during the year and 11 per cent were from the Dalit community, as per NCRB’s annual report titled “Crimes in India -2019". 

Also Read : A Month After The Gangrape Case, 4-Year-Old Girl Raped In Hathras By Relative: Report

Khushi Gupta is an intern with SheThePeople.TV