Unnao rape case: woman set on fire dies, UP govt decides to hear the case on fast-track court now

The woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao who had been raped and set on fire by five men on Thursday, died in Delhi late on Friday night. The 23-year old with more than 90 per cent burn injuries had been airlifted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital from Lucknow the day before.

Following her death, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that the case will be heard by a fast-track court. The UP CM said that he was “extremely saddened to hear of the woman’s death. The case will be heard in a fast-track court and strictest punishment will be given to the culprits.”

She was on her way to board a train to Rae Bareli to attend a court hearing of the rape case when five men attacked her – they poured kerosene on her and set her on fire. One of the men she had accused of raping her is the son of the village head. She had filed a complaint with the Unnao police in March alleging she had been raped at gunpoint in December 2018. The alleged rapist had been released on bail last week. He and another co-accused are among the five attackers – all of whom have been arrested.

“Either they should be hanged or they should be shot dead like what happened in Hyderbad,” the woman’s father said. Her brother said that she had told them she “wanted the men dead”.

Questions are being raised on the role of the police in handling the case – the delay in lodging of the complaint and how the accused could get bail and why she got no protection.