The 23-year-old rape victim from India's Unnao district died in Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital at 11.40 pm on Friday. On Thursday, when she was going to court, the victim was set ablaze by five men, including the two accused of raping her, that left her with 90 percent burn injuries.
The victim accused a man named Shivam of raping her from January to December 12, 2018, on the pretext of marriage. In December, last year, she was abducted by Shivam and his partner Shubham, both of whom raped her. The victim filed a complaint against the two in March, this year.
Authorities turned a deaf ear to her complaint
Shivam surrendered in Rae Bareli court on September 19. He was released on bail and was absconding as per police records. Shubham started following and threatening the victim. It has been widely reported that despite her family approaching the police multiple times, the authorities turned a deaf ear to the victim's complaint.
On December 5, on her way to court, the victim was attacked by five men, two among whom are the prime accused in her rape case. She was beaten, repeatedly stabbed, kerosene poured on her and was set ablaze, Times of India reported. Before being rescued, she had sustained 90% burn injuries, all over her body. She was air-lifted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, where she breathed her last, late Friday night.
'Please save me. I don't want to die,' victim to her brother
Before being put on a ventilator on Friday, the victim reportedly told her family to save her. "Please save me, I don't want to die. Those who have done this to me, I want to see them getting a death sentence", she told her brother.
However, after fighting for her life for about 40 hours, the victim succumbed to cardiac arrest at 11.40 pm (Local Time), on Friday. "She suffered cardiac arrest at 11:10 pm, we tried to resuscitate her, but she could not survive and at 11:40 pm, she dies", Dr Shalabh Kumar, said in a statement.
Hours after her demise, a woman killed herself in India's Madhya Pradesh, due to molestation. Early this morning, a driver was arrested in India's Bihar on charges of raping a 5-year-old. Another arrest was made in India's Uttar Pradesh over assault of a 3-year-old. On Friday, a minor was allegedly raped in India's southern state of Kerala.
