Raped by cousins, girl sets herself on fire

Victim with 90 pc burns battles for life

Barely, a couple of days before Raskha Bandhan, a 16-year old girl set herself ablaze allegedly after being gang-raped by two youths who were her first cousins in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district, about 250 kilometers from here.

Reports said the girl who suffered 90 per cent burns is battling for life at the district hospital. One of the accused has been arrested while the other is absconding, police said.
Though the shocking incident had occurred four days back, it came to light on Wednesday when the parents of the teen lodged a complaint with police.

Police said Manoj and Vijay barged into the house of the victim when she was alone there as her parents had gone to relatives’ place. The youths took the victim away to a secluded place outside the village and allegedly gang-raped her.

She told her parents when they returned home next morning that the culprits threatened to kill her if she did not do as directed.

“A little later, she went into her room, closed the doors and set herself ablaze after pouring kerosene all over her body,” said the distraught father.

The family members and neighbours rushed to save her when they heard her cries but it was too late.

“We tried to break open the doors but by the time we were able to do so, she had sustained severe burns,” he said, adding, “Apparently, she could not bear the humiliation.”
The doctors said she had suffered over 90 per cent injuries and was in a critical condition. A case has been registered. Police  nabbed Vijay and a search is on to nab Manoj.