UP woman, gangraped and tortured two weeks ago, dies in hospital

New Delhi : A 20-year-old UP woman, who was brutally tortured and gangraped two weeks ago, has passed away in a Delhi Hospital. The woman was assaulted by four men from her village in Hathras. The woman had been in an extremely critical state with multiple fractures and her tongue had been slashed in the horrific assault.

She was in the ICU ward of a Hathras hospital until she was shifted to Delhi yesterday.

All four men who assaulted her have been locked up in jail. The woman belonged to the Scheduled Castes community, while the attackers were from a so-called upper caste.

The woman's family has accused the Uttar Pradesh police of not helping them initially but reacting only after public outrage.

The woman was attacked on September 14 at her village in Hathras, some 200 km from Delhi. She was dragged by her dupatta into the fields from a spot where she had been cutting grass with her family.

"My mother, sister and elder brother had gone to a field to get some grass. My brother went home earlier with a large bundle of grass, while my mother and sister continued to cut them. The women were a little far from each other. Four-five people came from behind, they threw my sister's dupatta around her neck and dragged her inside the bajra field," the woman's brother told NDTV.

"My mother realised she was missing and went looking for her. My sister was found unconscious. They had raped her. The police did not help us initially... they did not take quick action. They acted only after four-five days," he said.

"We were told that she would be taken to AIIMS but she was taken to Safdarjung," the brother told reporters today, alleging lapses by the police.

"Her condition was very bad. She was found in the bajra field. Initially it was thought was she was bitten by a snake. Three bones on her neck were broken. She had difficulty breathing... She needed oxygen right from the beginning. We reached here (Safdarjung Hospital) yesterday," another brother of the woman said.

The Uttar Pradesh police denied the family's allegation of slow response. "This is a very unfortunate incident but we have been proactive in making arrests and helping the family in whatever manner possible . I will personally ensure swift investigation and that these men are tried in a fast track court," Hathras police chief Vikrant Vir had told NDTV in an interview on Sunday.