Pak Hindu girl commits suicide after being blackmailed by rapists out on bail

Karachi, October 1

A 17-year-old Hindu girl committed suicide in Pakistan's Sindh province after she was reportedly blackmailed by three men accused of sexually assaulting her, a media report said on Thursday.

The girl ended her life by jumping into a well in Dalan-Jo-Tarr village in Tharparkar district on Wednesday, Dawn reported.

Her body was retrieved by the villagers who rushed her to a nearby hospital where she was declared brought dead.

"The girl was raped by three men in mid-July in 2019 and the accused in the case are out on bail," the victim's father and other relatives told reporters.

They alleged that the girl committed suicide after she was blackmailed and harassed by the influential suspects who had raped her, according to the paper.

According to an FIR registered in 2019, the three men forcibly took the girl to a house where they raped her and filmed the ordeal.

The trial in the case was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The trial of the case was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. October 15 has now been fixed as the date when evidence in the case will be submitted,” said Mohan Mathrani, the lawyer of the victim's family.

No fresh case was immediately registered against the accused after the girl's death. However, one of the three suspects was arrested by the police.

Chelhar Station House Officer Mushtaq Malik said that the police would register a fresh case if the family lodges a complaint of blackmail or harassment.

Several people, including rights activists, have demanded a stern action against those responsible for the crime.

People of the Meghwar community and workers of various parties have warned to stage protests in Thar and other areas against the rising incidents of crimes against women.

Prime Minister Imran Khan recently said that rapists should be handed the most severe punishments to curb the rising sexual violence, such as either hanging them publicly or chemically castrating them.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan, mostly in Sindh province. PTI

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