In a gruesome development, a gang-rape victim in Unnao was attacked on Thursday morning before being set on fire by at least five people including two accused who sexually assaulted her in March this year. The woman, who has suffered 60-70% burn injuries, was on her way to attend the hearing in her case in Rae Bareli when she was brutally attacked.
She was rushed to a local hospital in Unnao before being shifted to the civil hospital in Lucknow. A statement by the Unnao Police said that the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police immediately visited the site of the attack adding that all five accused involved in Thursday’s attack had been arrested.
The prime accused, Shivam Dwivedi, had also reportedly surrendered.
#Lucknow – मुख्य आरोपी शिवम द्विवेदी ने सरेंडर किया, उन्नाव पुलिस की गिरफ्त में शिवम द्विवेदी, शिवम द्विवेदी ने पुलिस में सरेंडर किया, घटना के पांचों आरोपी पुलिस की पकड़ में, 4 आरोपी घर से गिरफ्तार किए गए थे, उन्नाव पुलिस ने सरेंडर का दावा किया है। @Uppolice @unnaopolice
— भारत समाचार (@bstvlive) December 5, 2019
A report by Hindustan Times said that in her statement to the police at the hospital, the victim has said that she was going to Baiswara Bihar railway station around 4.30 AM. Shivam Dwivedi along with Hari Shankar Trivedi, Kishore, Shubham, Umesh Vajpayee and two others accosted her at the Gaura crossing. According to some reports, one of the accused is the son of a former jailer and was travelling in a car bearing ‘police’ sign.
A 23 yr old woman has been burnt by 5 men in UP’s Unnao. 3 have been arrested by the @unnaopolice , including a man who was accused of raping this woman in March this year . He was ‘absconding’ till now . Another rape accused had made bail. The woman has 70 percent burn injuries pic.twitter.com/uPRWfwKWAY
— Alok Pandey (@alok_pandey) December 5, 2019
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has taken cognisance of the incident and written to the Director-General of Police in Uttar Pradesh asking for action in the case.