After hours of fighting, the rape victim from Uttar Pradesh‘s Unnao district airlifted to Delhi and admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital after she was set on fire allegedly by five persons, died on Friday night.
“She [the Unnao rape victim] suffered a cardiac arrest at 11:10 pm and we tried to resuscitate her, but she could not survive and at 11:40 pm, she died,” the Sardurjung Hospital spokesperson confirmed.
The 23-year-old woman was admitted to a Lucknow hospital on Thursday with 90 per cent burns and was later airlifted to Delhi for further treatment.
The woman was set ablaze by five men, including the two who were accused of raping her in December. She was attacked outside the Sindupur village in Unnao district when she was on her way to a court in Rae Bareli to attend a hearing in rape case.
Her last, chilling words were: Bhaiya mujhe bacha lo, mujhe marna nahi hai. Jinhonne mere sath ye kiya hai, unhe mai maut ki saza paatey dekhna chahti hu” (I don’t want to die. Those who have done this to me, I want to see them hang to death).
ACCUSED MADE PROMISES OF MARRIAGE, RAPE CASE FILED IN MARCH
In a tweet earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Police had said the victim filed a case in March alleging that she was raped between January 19 and December 12, 2018, by one of the accused on the pretext that he would marry her, The Times of India reported.
In her statement to the magistrate, she alleged that the accused — Shivam and Shubham Trivedi — had abducted and raped her in December 2018.
It was only 10 days before that the prime accused, Shubham, was released on bail while the probe in the matter was still on, the police had said.
Immediately after securing bail. Shubham started following and threatening her.
The victim and her family visited the Bihar police station close to the Sindupur village in Unnao several times but the police turned a deaf ear to the complaints. The victim was on her way to a Rae Bareli court when she was abducted by the five men — Harishankar Trivedi, Ram Kishore Trivedi, Umesh Bajpai, Shivam and Shubham Trivedi.
According to sources one of these five men is the son of the village pradhan against whom the woman had lodged a rape complaint.
Her family had alleged that their relatives have been getting death threats for pursuing the case.
WOMAN RAN FOR 1 KM, SPOKE TO POLICE HERSELF
On her way to a court in Rae Bareli, the five men thrashed her, doused her with kerosene oil and set her on fire. The survivor ran for almost one km for help, called 112 from someone’s mobile phone and informed police about the incident.
The woman was walking to the nearby railway station when the group accosted her and took her to a field outside the village and poured petrol on her.
When police reached the spot, they found her in a severely burnt condition while the accused had fled by then.
A witness to the horrific view, Ravindra, who sitting by the roadside then, told reporters that he was so frightened that he actually went to pick up his stick.
“It was only when she came nearer that I found she was severely burnt,” he said. She had been calling out for help, he added.
Ravindra said he called police and the woman herself talked on them on the phone. The police arrived soon and she was taken to the local community health centre, he said.
90% BURNT, AIRLIFTED TO DELHI’S SAFDARJUNG HOSPITAL
The victim was admitted to a local hospital in Lucknow with 90 per cent burns but was later shifted to a civil hospital.
The Delhi Traffic Police provided a green corridor from the Delhi airport till Safdarjung Hospital. On Friday night, Safdarjung Hospital said the next 24-48 hours are really critical for her. She was on a ventilator. She, however, couldn’t make it.
WANT TO SEE CULPRITS HANG TO DEATH, WOMAN TELLS BROTHER
Before she was put on ventilator on earlier Friday, the Unnao rape victim told her family that she doesn’t want to die and wants to see the accused sentenced to death.
“Usne kaha ki bhahiya mujhe bacha lo, mujhe marna nahi hai. Jinhonne mere sath ye kiya hai, unhe mai maut ki saza paatey dekhna chahti hu [she told me that brother, 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]” the brother of the Unnao rape victim told India Today TV.
However, the victim breathed her last in late Friday succumbing to a cardiac arrest.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: CONDOLENCES POUR IN
NCP leader Supriya Sule extended her condolences saying, “We need to ensure she gets justice as well as all other rape victims.”
She tweeted: “Another innocent life lost to rape. Extremely saddened to hear about the demise of the Unnao Rape Victim. My heartfelt condolences. May she rest in Peace. We need to ensure she gets justice as well as all other rape victims…enough is enough….”
Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure strict and quick justice to the victim.
He tweeted: “Saddened by the demise of Unnao rape victim. If the justice system had the law to deliver quick justice, the accused would not have committed such heinous crime. @PMOIndia I urge that a provision should be made to ensure strict and speedy justice by improving the law so that no such untoward incident happens in the future.”
All India Mahila Congress took a dig at the Uttar Pradesh government while condoling the death of the Unnao rape survivor. “As the UP government goes to sleep another of ‘India’s daughter’ succumbs to a system that failed to protect her Unnao rape victim who was set ablaze in Unnao and airlifted to Safdarjung Hospital yesterday, died at 11:40 pm. RIP you brave girl. You fought hard,” it said in a tweet.
ON THURSDAY: ADITYANATH-LED GOVT REACTS, PRIYANKA GANDHI COUNTERS
On Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took note of the incident and said the government will bear all expenses for treatment of the woman who has suffered 90 per cent burns.
He even directed Director General of Police (DGP) to closely investigate the matter and asked senior police and state administration officials to visit the spot and submit a report by the evening in the day. He also asked the police to ensure strict action against the guilty and ensure their conviction in court.
“The CM has directed the divisional commissioner and IG, Lucknow zone, to visit the spot and submit a report to him by the evening,” Additional Chief Secretary, Information and Home Department, Awanish Awasthi said.
While targeting the Uttar Pradesh government over the incident, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also questioned the claims of Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the law and order situation after a rape victim was set on fire in Unnao.
“Yesterday the home minister of the country and the Uttar Pradesh chief minister clearly lied that law and order in Uttar Pradesh have become better. Seeing such incidents everyday angers the mind. BJP leaders should now come out of false propaganda,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.