The 23 year old Unnao rape victim who had been airlifted to Delhi and admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital with 90% burns after being set ablaze, died on Friday night. The Unnao rape case refers to the brutal gang-rape of a seventeen year old girl in 2017 in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The case has constantly been reported in mainstream media in April 2018 after the rape survivor had tried to immolate herself outside the residence of UP CM Yogi Adityanath. The Kathua rape case surfaced during the same time and there were nationwide protests demanding justice for both the victims. The family along with the Unnao rape victim suffered a deadly truck collision on 28 July 2019, two of her relatives died in that accident. The family had been threatened by the accused and had written to the Chief Justice of India for help. It was on 31st July the Supreme Court took acknowledgement of the case.
She kept battling for life for almost forty hours and then died following a cardiac arrest at night. Her body has been transferred to the hospital’s forensic department where a post-mortem examination will take place. After this her body will be handed over to the family. The woman was set on fire by a group of five men, including two who allegedly raped her.
She was burnt when she was going to the Rae Bareli court to attend a hearing of a case filed by her. She died at a time when the nation was debating whether the encounter-killing/extra-judicial killing of the accused in the Hyderabad vet’s rape case jolted the nation.
The encounter of the accused with the Telangana police has indeed triggered off a tsunami of emotions across the spectrum of the society, ranging from appreciation to condemnation.
Several politicians have expressed grief and pain over the death of the Unnao rape victim. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has called the incident saddening and unfortunate adding that the government will now ensure a fast track court for the speedy punishment of the accused.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has said that the Uttar Pradesh government is wholly responsible for the incidence and that the state government was not doing enough to regulate the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party(SP)chief Akhilesh Yadav and the Congress party are now protesting outside the UP Assembly in Lucknow.
