14-year-old girl set on fire after she 'infuriated' two rapists by bravely resisting their attacks
A 14-year-old girl in India was burned to death after she bravely fought off two rapists and resisted the attack on June 22.
The victim, a middle school student, was rushed to a hospital in Raipur with 80 percent burns to her body. She spoke to the police while lying on her death bed on June 23, and revealed the identities of her attackers before succumbing to her injuries.
According to a statement by law enforcement, the two accused attacked the teenager when she was less than 200 meters away from her home and was looking after goats in her family field in the town of Bemetara, Chhatarpur. Bemetara Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel revealed how the attackers "tried to force themselves upon her" but the girl "resisted with all her strength."
The pair failed to rape her despite several attempts. Angered at her resistance and fearing she would report them to the authorities, they doused her in kerosene and set her ablaze.
According to a report by the Times of India, the accused include another 14-year-old and a 22-year-old man named Sharad Jaiswal. Police said the two fled the scene while the girl was engulfed in flames. "The two accused have been taken into custody and their interrogation was underway. Further action will be taken accordingly," Patel said.
The victim was later found by her parents unconscious in the field with her skin seared from the blaze. They immediately rushed her to a hospital, but medical staff couldn't save her from the third-degree burns despite their best efforts.
Here is Superintendent Patel's full statement to the Times of India:
The incident took place at Majgaon village on June 22 when the girl was out in fields located about 200 meters away from her home. As there was no one at home, the two accused approached her and tried to force themselves up on her.
The girl was alert and she resisted with all her strength. The duo realized they failed raping her and angered over the resistance as well as fearing she would report to police, they set her on fire. The accused Sharad Jaiswal, 22 and another 14-year-old fled the spot leaving her engulfed in flames in the field. Girl's parents were away and when they returned to find her absent from home, they rushed out to search her and found unconscious with severe burns on her body.The family rushed her directly to hospital in Raipur on Tuesday evening. She was undergoing treatment for 80 per cent burns and gave statement to police.She told police that the duo dragged her to a corner in field to rape her but her resistance infuriated them.
The girl succumbed to burns on Wednesday noon and the duo was arrested the same time in Bemetara. The accused were arrested under relevant sections of POCSO Act and IPC.
The same city of Chhatarpur saw a four-year-old girl dumped in a well earlier this month after she was raped and murdered.
Tens of thousands of rapes are reported in India every year. The Indian government took action in 2018 by approving capital punishment for repeat offenders and for individuals who rape children under the age of 12. According to activists in the country, many victims are afraid to report the crimes to authorities due to threats by perpetrators as well as the social stigma attached to sexual assaults, the Daily Mail reports.