
Image Released, AFP
Activist takes part in a protest in Delhi
A 19-year-old woman from the “Dalits” caste (known as the Untouchables) died after being raped by four men of an upper social class, sparking widespread outrage in India.
The victim was hospitalized in the capital, Delhi, two weeks ago, with multiple serious injuries.
The attack took place on the 14th of September in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Police arrested four suspected men.
The news of her death prompted many Indians to make their contribution on various social media platforms to demand justice and punishment for the perpetrators.
And local media quoted the police as saying that four men forcibly dragged the victim to a field located in “Hathras” in Uttar Pradesh, where they raped her. The woman was seriously injured as a result of the assault.
The victim’s brother confirmed the news of her death to the BBC Hindi, adding that the authorities had not arrested anyone in the first ten days following the attack. “They left her after they thought she was dead, but she clung to life for 14 days,” he said.
The victim’s family told the Indian Express that the main suspect in the case had a long record of harassing Dalits in the area and harassing them.
Opposition parties in the state condemned the attack.
Mayawati, the former head of the state government and a Dalit politician, said in a tweet Tuesday that, “The government should provide all forms of assistance to the victim’s family, and it should also punish the perpetrators quickly by prosecuting them before a court of competent jurisdiction. Urgent. “
Akhilesh Yadav, also a former head of state government, said that the (central) government “does not care” about crimes against women.
“Daliti” politician and activist Chandrashikar Azad visited the victim in hospital at the weekend and called on his party to launch a large-scale protest campaign against her death.
It is known that the “Dalit” class is A layer of powder in India Because of the prevailing social class system that places them at the bottom of the social ladder. Despite the existence of laws that protect them, discrimination is still a reality that “Dalits” – who number about 200 million – live on a daily basis.
The victim, a student who was studying physical therapy, was called Nirbhaya by the Indian press – meaning she is not afraid of anyone – because Indian law prohibits naming victims in such incidents.
However, there is no indication that the frequency of attacks against girls and women has decreased.
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https://www.bbc.com/arabic/world-54337163