Unnao gang-rape: Accused set minor Dalit victim’s house on fire; her infant son and sister fight for life

Unnao (UP), April 18

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Two infants were in a critical condition Tuesday after a group of men set fire to the home of a minor Dalit girl, whom two of them had allegedly raped last year.

The injured babies include the rape victim’s six-month-old child – born after the 11-year-old was impregnated in the sexual assault – and her two-month-old sister, police said.

The two rape accused, recently released on bail, allegedly barged into the family’s thatched shed Monday evening with five others, after the victim refused to withdraw the case.

They beat up her mother and then set the shed on fire.

According to chief medical superintendent Sushil Srivastava, the rape victim’s infant son suffered 35 per cent burns and her sister 45 per cent burns in the incident.

“As their condition worsened, both the kids were sent to Kanpur for better treatment,” he said.

Santosh Singh, Circle Officer, Purva said the rape victim’s father was attacked with an axe by her grandfather and uncle, who had sided with the accused, and four other people on April 13 according to a complaint filed by her mother.

The father is admitted at the district hospital with serious injuries, he said.

Police said the Dalit girl was gang-raped on February 13, 2022. She gave birth to a son in September that year.

The victim’s mother also alleged that their house was set on fire to eliminate her daughter’s infant son.