While police have taken three suspects into custody, authorities are yet to disclose their identities or motive. A post-mortem has been conducted, and forensic analysis is underway to determine whether the victim was sexually assaulted. Despite the police’s insistence that they are actively investigating, the family remains critical, alleging that the officers failed to search for the woman properly until her body was discovered by her brother-in-law.

Family’s allegations and harrowing discovery

The victim’s family had reported her missing on Friday, yet the police allegedly failed to launch an immediate search operation. It was her brother-in-law who ultimately found the mutilated body near a canal, just 500 metres from their village. The corpse was found bound with ropes, with multiple deep wounds, a fractured leg, and signs of extreme brutality. The horrific condition of the body left family members and locals in shock, with some fainting at the sight. Despite these gruesome details, local police officials initially remained non-committal, stating that further action would only follow after receiving the post-mortem report. The family and villagers, however, have squarely blamed the authorities for their negligence, stating that a proactive approach could have saved the victim’s life.

Political leaders condemn law enforcement and state government

The case has ignited a political storm, with prominent leaders condemning the state government’s failure to protect Dalits and other marginalised communities. Chandrashekhar Azad, MP from Nagina and president of Azad Samaj Party, staged a protest in front of the BR Ambedkar statue in Parliament, slamming the Uttar Pradesh police for their delayed response. “For three days, there was no action until the family found the body themselves. This shows the utter failure of the system,” he said, adding that under the current government, atrocities against Dalits have become rampant.

Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad broke down in tears while addressing the media, expressing his anguish over the brutal crime. In a highly emotional moment, he questioned, “Where are Lord Ram and Mother Sita? How did this happen to a daughter in Ayodhya?” He vowed to resign from his post if justice was not delivered, though his colleagues urged him to fight from within the system.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav described the incident as “inhuman,” blaming the ruling BJP for rising atrocities against Dalits, minorities, and backward communities. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also criticised the government’s inaction, asserting that had the administration responded to the family’s cries for help, the victim’s life might have been saved.

अयोध्या में दलित बेटी के साथ हुई अमानवता और उसकी नृशंस हत्या हृदयविदारक और बहुत शर्मनाक है।

तीन दिनों से गूंजती बच्ची के परिवार के मदद की पुकार पर अगर प्रशासन ने ध्यान दिया होता तो शायद उसके जीवन की रक्षा हो सकती थी। एक और बेटी के जीवन का इस घिनौने अपराध से अंत हो गया। आखिर कब… pic.twitter.com/25SRfkA3a2

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 2, 2025

Priyanka Gandhi echoed similar sentiments, condemning the police for their indifference and calling the UP government synonymous with Dalit oppression.

अयोध्या में भागवत कथा सुनने गई एक दलित बच्ची के साथ जिस तरह की बर्बरता हुई, उसे सुनकर किसी भी इंसान की रूह कांप जाए। ऐसी क्रूर घटनाएं समूची मानवता को शर्मसार करती हैं। बच्ची तीन दिन से गायब थी लेकिन पुलिस ने कुछ नहीं किया। भाजपा के जंगलराज में दलितों, आदिवासियों, पिछड़ों और…

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) February 2, 2025

Police response and conflicting claims

As the outrage mounted, the Ayodhya police attempted to push back against the allegations. Senior Superintendent of Police (Ayodhya) Raj Karan Nayyer stated that the post-mortem indicated that the cause of death was “shock and haemorrhage due to ante-mortem injuries.” He denied claims that the woman’s eyes had been gouged out, attributing the post-mortem injuries to the body being dumped elsewhere before being discovered near the canal. While he acknowledged that “strong clues” had been found and “key suspects” detained, the police’s initial inaction remains a glaring issue.

Despite these claims, the family maintains that the police failed to search for the victim and only responded after public pressure mounted. The administration’s handling of the case has reinforced the perception that crimes against Dalits are often met with indifference, exacerbating fears of systemic caste-based violence.

A pattern of impunity and injustice

This incident is yet another addition to a long list of brutal crimes against Dalit women in Uttar Pradesh, where justice is often delayed or denied. The state government’s failure to ensure safety, combined with police apathy, has further eroded trust in law enforcement. The outpouring of grief and anger from citizens and political leaders highlights the deep-rooted caste-based discrimination that continues to enable such crimes.

As the investigation continues, the crucial question remains—will this be yet another case where perpetrators walk free due to political and institutional protection, or will the state finally act decisively to bring justice to the victim and her family? The people of Uttar Pradesh, particularly its Dalit community, are watching closely.

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The post Ayodhya’s shocking crime: Dalit woman found dead, allegations of sexual violence, police accused of delay appeared first on SabrangIndia.

— Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

In a harrowing incident, two infants suffered serious burn injuries after two gang-rape accused out on bail set fire to the 11-year-old Dalit rape survivor’s house in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district. The incident happened on February 13, 2022, when the men gang-raped the minor girl. One of the infants who was injured was the victim’s six-month-old son, who was conceived during the assault, and the other was her two-month-old sister.

According to PTI, a group of men led by the two rape suspects burned down the survivor’s home and beat up her mother after she refused to withdraw her complaint against them. Said chief medical superintendent Sushil Srivastava, the rape survivor’s infant son received 35% burns on his body while her sister received 45% burns in the incident. The two injured infants are fighting for their lives in Kanpur hospital.

Other media reports detailed how a “thorough investigation”  into the incident is underway, and the Uttar Pradesh Police is looking into others named in the FIR.

It is crucial to note here that this is not the first attack on the victim’s family as a result of their refusal to drop the rape case. On April 13, five days before setting fire to the house, the survivor’s father was attacked with an axe by her grandfather and uncle, who had sided with the accused, along with four other people. The police allegedly took no action despite the father’s identification of the men involved in the attack on him. In a video of her father, he can be heard saying that he complained to the police, but they did nothing. The family has accused the local police of protecting the accused. The mother of the survivor has also claimed that their home was purposefully set on fire in order to kill her daughter’s infant son.

The post regarding the news can be read here:

This incident comes just a day after the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had boasted of the law and order situation in the state, saying, “UP guarantees you (businessmen) the best law and order situation.” But, not all is okay in Uttar Pradesh, and has never been for the Dalit community, especially for the Dalit women. Prior to this, in the year 2017, Adityanath had also claimed that Dalits, farmers and the poor are the government’s priority. 

The situation of caste and gender-based atrocities against Dalit women in India

For most Dalit women, the reality of caste-based gender violence is perpetual, persistent and constant. In the year 2020, the chief minister had launched ‘Mission Shakti’ campaign which promised ‘zero tolerance’ towards crimes against women. However, during the same year of 2020, 604 cases of rape of Dalit women were registered in Uttar Pradesh. Of them, 122 victims were minors, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau. It is also to be noted that in 2019, there were 545 cases of rape in UP in which victims were Dalit women, and 526 in 2018, which means, that as the years have progressed, gender and caste based atrocities faced by Dalit women have only increased. And yet, according to the Chief Minister of the state, all remains well.

But, these atrocities and discrimination faced by the Dalit survivors and families do not end at the commission of the crime. India is failing to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities to protect Dalit women and girls from sexual violence. Survivors and their families frequently face multiple obstacles to justice, and these common impediments highlight the systemic nature of discrimination faced by Dalit communities in India’s criminal justice system and wider society. The condition has become so dire that instead of fearing the consequences of committing a crime against human body, perpetrators are well aware that if they commit crimes against Dalit community members, they will face far less punishment because crimes are rarely investigated or prosecuted. And in cases where the perpetrators belong to the dominant class, the chances of the authorities siding with the accused are higher than the case ever reaching a conviction.

It is to be noted that the conviction rates remain abysmally low for the small proportion of sexual violence assaults that India’s criminal court system does prosecute. According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s latest data, there was a 45 percent increase in reported rapes of Dalit women between 2015 and 2020. The data said 10 rapes of Dalit women and girls were reported every day in India, on average. According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-2016, sexual violence rates were highest among women from Scheduled Tribes (Adivasi or Indigenous Indians) at 7.8 percent, followed by Scheduled Castes (Dalit) at 7.3 percent, and Otherwise Backward Castes (OBCs) at 5.4 percent. For the sake of comparison, as per the data, the rate for women who were not marginalised by caste or tribe was 4.5 percent.

According to studies, the vast majority of rapes against Dalit women go unreported. Common barriers include a lack of family support and police reluctance to register complaints against upper caste men. The legal and judicial systems are inaccessible to many Dalit women. Furthermore, those Dalit women who want to file police complaints frequently face difficulties. Collecting evidence and witness testimony is even more difficult. Police are slow to register complaints, investigations into Dalit women are frequently delayed, and officials frequently deny that a rape had even occurred.

According to a Human Rights Watch report, if a case is filed, the woman will face new challenges before a judge “whose gender biases and caste affiliations can greatly influence the judgment in the case.” Additionally, fearing the retaliation from perpetrators, who are frequently in positions of relative power in the community and belong to the dominant caste, witnesses rarely agree to come forward to testify or corroborate the victim’s statement. In rare cases that they do, incidents similar to the aforementioned happen.

On March 15, 2021, a parliamentary standing committee on Home Affairs report on ‘Atrocities and Crimes against Women and Children’ was presented in the Rajya Sabha. According to the report, it was held that Dalit women faced difficulties in filing atrocity cases against them due to “poor implementation of existing laws and the apathetic attitude of law enforcement agencies.”

According to the National Council for Women Leaders, who published a report titled ‘Caste-based Sexual Violence and State Impunity,’ caste becomes a critical factor in how sexual violence survivors access justice. According to the report, even if a FIR is filed, the accused or his family threatens the woman or her family with further violence if they refuse to drop the case. Many survivors and their families also struggled to keep track of lengthy investigations and trials. Furthermore, institutions dealing with the cases, such as hospitals, frequently violated established investigation protocols.

According to the NCWL report, caste-based attitudes and discrimination pervade the entire law enforcement and criminal justice system, including the police, medical officials, prosecutors, and judges, and these attitudes impede Dalit women and girls’ access to justice. It is important to note that under the  Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (PoA Act), the Indian legal system has special provisions for crimes committed against people marginalised by caste and tribe, including state support and special courts to streamline cases filed under the law. However, in order for cases to be tried under the law, survivors must first report the crimes to the police, after which an investigation takes place, and only then is the case brought to trial. As per the NCWL report, access to justice is limited for women from less privileged castes, particularly in rural areas, at each stage.

The authorities’ reluctance to include appropriate provisions under the Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act weakens the survivor’s case. It should be noted that there is no provision for anticipatory bail under the POA Act, and the quantum of punishment in the event of conviction is higher. In 15 percent of the cases where survivors or families of victims were able to get an FIR registered, justice was stalled due to the police not including applicable provisions of the PoA Act. It is crucial to highlight here that in the aforementioned case, the rape accused hate gotten bail even after having raped a minor Dalit girl. Since the PoA act does not allow for bails to be granted the accused, it can fairly be deduced that the perpetrators had not be booked under the PoA act.

This case highlights the terrifying impunity that dominant caste rapists enjoy in India, as well as the criminal justice system’s failure to provide justice to marginalised community survivors. It is a major betrayal of the justice system’s promise to hold criminals accountable and to provide a safe haven for women in the country. This tragic Unnao case reaffirms Dalit women’s complete powerlessness in the criminal justice system and serves as yet another cautionary tale for women considering approaching the police or the courts for redress against violence. Despite the hashtags and outrage surrounding the Hathras case, sexual violence against Dalit women is not a new phenomenon.

Provisions under PoA Act for providing protection to the kins of the survivor

It is essential to highlight here that in addition to the above-mentioned protections provided to the victims of caste-based crimes under the PoA Act, the act also provides for granting protection to the family of the survivor. These provisions guaranteeing protection to the families of the survivor are owning to the atrocities, hatred and oppression faced by the marginalised communities at the hands of the dominant communities for having had the audacity to rise against them. The provisions are as follows:

Section 15A. Rights of victims and witnesses—

(1) It shall be the duty and responsibility of the State to make arrangements for the protection of victims, their dependents, and witnesses against any kind of intimidation or coercion or inducement or violence or threats of violence

(3) A victim or his dependent shall have the right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any Court proceeding including any bail proceeding and the Special Public Prosecutor or the State Government shall inform the victim about any proceedings under this Act.

(4) A victim or his dependent shall have the right to apply to the Special Court or the Exclusive Special Court, as the case may be, to summon parties for production of any documents or material, witnesses or examine the persons present.

(5) A victim or his dependent shall be entitled to be heard at any proceeding under this Act in respect of bail, discharge, release, parole, conviction or sentence of an accused or any connected proceedings or arguments and file written submission on conviction, acquittal or sentencing.

(6) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure,1973 (2 of 1974), the Special Court or the Exclusive Special Court trying a case under this Act shall provide to a victim, his dependent, informant or witnesses–

(a) the complete protection to secure the ends of justice;

(b) the travelling and maintenance expenses during investigation, inquiry and trial;

(c) the social-economic rehabilitation during investigation, inquiry and trial; and

(d) relocation

(7) The State shall inform the concerned Special Court or the Exclusive Special Court about the protection provided to any victim or his dependent, informant or witnesses and such Court shall periodically review the protection being offered and pass appropriate orders.

(8) Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of sub-section (6), the concerned Special Court or the Exclusive Special Court may, on an application made by a victim or his dependent, informant or witness in any proceedings before it or by the Special Public Prosecutor in relation to such victim, informant or witness or on its own motion, take such measures including–

(a) concealing the names and addresses of the witnesses in its orders or judgments or in any records of the case accessible to the public;

(b) issuing directions for non-disclosure of the identity and addresses of the witnesses;

(c) take immediate action in respect of any complaint relating to harassment of a victim, informant or witness and on the same day, if necessary, pass appropriate orders for protection:

Provided that inquiry or investigation into the complaint received under clause (c) shall be tried separately from the main case by such Court and concluded within a period of two months from the date of receipt of the complaint:

Provided further that where the complaint under clause (c) is against any public servant, the Court shall restrain such public servant from interfering with the victim, informant or witness, as the case may be, in any matter related or unrelated to the pending case, except with the permission of the Court.

(9) It shall be the duty of the Investigating Officer and the Station House Officer to record the complaint of victim, informant or witnesses against any kind of intimidation, coercion or inducement or violence or threats of violence, whether given orally or in writing, and a photocopy of the First Information Report shall be immediately given to them at free of cost.

(10) All proceedings relating to offences under this Act shall be video recorded.

(11) It shall be the duty of the concerned State to specify an appropriate scheme to ensure implementation of the following rights and entitlements of victims and witnesses in accessing justice so as–

(a) to provide a copy of the recorded First Information Report at free of cost;

(b) to provide immediate relief in cash or in kind to atrocity victims or their dependents;

(c) to provide necessary protection to the atrocity victims or their dependents, and witnesses;

(d) to provide relief in respect of death or injury or damage to property;

(e) to arrange food or water or clothing or shelter or medical aid or transport facilities or daily allowances to victims;

(f) to provide the maintenance expenses to the atrocity victims and their dependents;

(g) to provide the information about the rights of atrocity victims at the time of making complaints and registering the First Information Report;

(h) to provide the protection to atrocity victims or their dependents and witnesses from intimidation and harassment;

(i) to provide the information to atrocity victims or their dependents or associated organisations or individuals, on the status of investigation and charge sheet and to provide copy of the charge sheet at free of cost;

(j) to take necessary precautions at the time of medical examination;

(k) to provide information to atrocity victims or their dependents or associated organisations or individuals, regarding the relief amount;

(l) to provide information to atrocity victims or their dependents or associated organisations or individuals, in advance about the dates and place of investigation and trial;

(m) to give adequate briefing on the case and preparation for trial to atrocity victims or their dependents or associated organisations or individuals and to provide the legal aid for the said purpose;

(n) to execute the rights of atrocity victims or their dependents or associated organisations or individuals at every stage of the proceedings under this Act and to provide the necessary assistance for the execution of the rights.

(12) It shall be the right of the atrocity victims or their dependents, to take assistance from the Non-Government Organisations, social workers or advocates.]

Section 21. Duty of Government to ensure effective implementation of the Act.

(1) Subject to such rules as the Central Government may make in this behalf, the State Government shall take such measures as may be necessary for the effective implementation of this Act.

(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions, such measures may include,–

(i) the provision for adequate facilities, including legal aid, to the persons subjected to atrocities to enable them to avail themselves of justice;

(ii) the provision for travelling and maintenance expenses to witnesses, including the victims of atrocities, during investigation and trial of offences under this Act;

(iii) the provision for the economic and social rehabilitation of the victims of the atrocities;

(iv) the appointment of officers for initiating or exercising supervision over prosecutions for the contravention of the provisions of this Act;

(v) the setting up of committees at such appropriate levels as the State Government may think fit to assist that Government in formulation or implementation of such measures;

(vi) provision for a periodic survey of the working of the provisions of this Act with a view to suggesting measures for the better implementation of the provision of this Act;

(vii) the identification of the areas where the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes are likely to be subjected to atrocities and adoption of such measures so as to ensure safety for such members.

(3) The Central Government shall take such steps as may be necessary to co-ordinate the measures taken by the State Governments under sub-section (1).

(4) The Central Government shall, every year, place on the table of each House of Parliament a report on the measures taken by itself and by the State Governments in pursuance of the provisions of this section.

These provisions are not talked about, and the marginalised community often remain unaware about them. The most recent instance where the family of the Dalit victim was provided police protect was that of the Hathras Rape Case. In the case of the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman in Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court bench comprising the then Chief Justice of India S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian had asked the UP state government if witnesses in the case had been provided protection and if the family of the victim had a lawyer. In a compliance affidavit filed in the top court, the Yogi Adityanath-led government said “in order to ensure the security of victim’s family/witnesses, three-fold protection mechanism has been devised” — armed constabulary component, civil police component comprising of guard, gunners and shadows and installation of CCTV cameras and lights.

It is unfortunate that, despite laws aimed at protecting the rights of individuals from the marginalised community, the situation continues to deteriorate and is becoming worse. These laws, designed to protect human rights, remain out of reach, continuing to be on paper while the perpetrators escape. Even after these crimes are committed openly and visibly, the state and parts of society in India conspire to downplay or erase the links between sexual violence and caste hierarchies. Today, as more Dalit women dare to stand up to caste oppression, the backlash appears to be more brutal than ever. It is the responsibility of the state and its agencies, as well as the citizens, to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice. It is critical that, in the face of a consistent pattern of families of Dalit victims and rape survivors facing backlash, human rights and Dalit rights defenders hold consistent protests so that the state is held accountable to providing the police protection guaranteed under laws to the families of the victims, in addition to the other legal provisions available for safeguarding the Dalit community’s rights.

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The post UP: Five days after attack on father of Dalit gang rape survivor, two infants and survivor set on fire at home by gang-rape suspects appeared first on SabrangIndia.

While politicians, and activists across the political divide have begun to raise their voices to draw the attention of Uttar Pradesh chief minister to the growing instances of heinous crimes, the state government’s plan of action is yet to be known. Meanwhile, the most vulnerable continue to be victimised in the state. The most recent report is of an incident of sexual assault. This time the victim is a 19-year-old girl, who belonged to the Dalit community. She was reportedly allegedly gang-raped by four “upper-caste” men in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. 

The teenager is reported to be still admitted in a hospital, where she was in the ICU even several days after she was attacked on September 14. The accused tried to strangle and kill the girl after they raped her. According to news reports, she is stable now and Police recorded her statement on Tuesday The teenager told the police that she had gone to gather fodder for her animals, when the men sexually assaulted her.

According to reports two accused have been arrested, the police had acted on the complaint lodged by the survivor’s brother, and had earlier registered a case against a man, identified as Sandeep, for attempt to murder and under sections of the SC/ST Act, stated media reports. After recording the survivor’s statement on Tuesday, the police added charges of gang-rape to the FIR. The police have so far arrested two of the four accused and are attempting to nab others, according to a report by The Times of India.

Meanwhile Congress leader Shyoraj Jivan Valmiki met the survivor’s family on Wednesday and demanded that action be taken against the police for the delay in recording the survivor’s statement., Deepak Kumar, the vice president of the UP Congress Committee, alleged that the accused and the local police were threatening the family members of the survivor.

The media also also recorded another incident, where two unidentified men, wearing masks, barged into a 45-year-old woman’s house in Kanpur district’s Bidhnu area on Tuesday night and raped her. On hearing noise, the affected woman’s son woke up and the accused fled. Police have registered a case and efforts are on to establish the identities of the culprits, the SHO Pushpraj Singh said, adding that some people have been detained in this connection. 

On Wednesday,  Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad had alleged that violence, and atrocities against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh are on the rise. He also posted on social media highlighting two such criminal attacks on Dalit leaders in UP, and alleged that the criminals were fearless as if they had official “government protection”. Azad listed the the attack on Dalit leader Suresh Pracheta was allegedly shot at by miscreants, in Jaunpur. This follows closely after the assassination of Dalit leader Satyamev Jayate in Azamgarh, he stated. 

Azad has alleged that while the Dalit community is being targetted this way the states Adityanath-led government was busy hosting meeting to plan a ‘film city’. 

यूपी में दलित जन प्रतिनिधियों को सरकारी संरक्षण प्राप्त गुण्डे बेख़ौफ़ निशाना बना रहे हैं।पहले आज़मगढ़ में दलित प्रधान सत्यमेव जयते की हत्या और अब जौनपुर में दलित नेता सुरेश प्रचेता को बदमाशों ने गोली मार दी, लेकिन यूपी की ढोंगी सरकार फ़िल्म सिटी का दरबार लगाये बैठी है। pic.twitter.com/xaz4bMSKIH

— Chandra Shekhar Aazad (@BhimArmyChief) September 23, 2020

The Jaunpur police were quick to respond to Azad’s tweet about the attack and said the victim’s acquaintances stated that he was allegedly shot at in a temple compound, and the assailant was unidentified because he was wearing a helmet. However, according to police, a medical examination later revealed that it did “not look like a gunshot injury” but could be an injury caused after being hit by a blunt weapon. The police said the group did not immediately inform the police. 

To say ‘another shocking incident’ by now seems trite. This is perhaps the most inhuman crime reported. According to a newsreport in DNA, a Dalit farmer was beheaded in Uttar Pradesh because he refused to share water for irrigation with another farmer. The accused has been arrested by the police. The victim, 56-year-old farmer Nathu Lal Jatav was watering his field late on Monday, in Badaun’s Din Nagar Sheikhpur village, when he was asked by another farmer, Roop Kishore, to divert water to his field. When Jatav refused, he was attacked with a spade, and beheaded by the angry farmer, stated the news report. Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddharth Verma was quoted in the news report stating that an FIR has been lodged against Roop Kishore, who “has been booked for murder and under sections of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act at the Bilsi police station. He was absconding, but we have tracked him down and arrested him. Further investigations are underway to find out if more people were involved.” 

The list of heinous crimes against Dalits, and women in Uttar Pradesh, the question on what the state government is doing to give justice, and prevent atrocities, however, still await answers.

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The post Lynched, raped, left for dead: Dalits, women remain easy targets for criminals in UP  appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A 20-year-old Dalit girl with stab marks and burns on her body was found hanging in a private garden in Kancheepuram on Thursday, The New Indian Express reported.

The deceased, identified as Rani (name changed), hailed from Aandi Siruvallur village near Walajabad and worked in a private company in Kancheepuram. The girl’s father, in the police complaint said that he suspects a man, Rajesh (30), with whom Rani was believed to be in a relationship, and a few others had gang-raped and murdered her. 

Primary investigation revealed that Rani was in a relationship with Rajesh for the past year, and that Rajesh is married and has two children. Rajesh was estranged from his wife and Rani’s family had warned her against the relationship.

After Rani didn’t return home on November 21 and the family approached the police, the officials asked them to call Rajesh to know his whereabouts, but his phone was switched off.

The police have apprehended Rajesh and he revealed that Rani was with him but had left his place the same night. He didn’t know where she was. However, Rani’s father, Boopathy accused him and others of gang-rape and murder.

The police have registered a case under Sections 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Kalaichelvan, Kanchi DSP told the paper, “On November 21, Rani did not return from work. After a futile search, her family lodged a complaint at the Kancheepuram taluk police station on November 23. On Wednesday, police received information that a girl was found dead in a private garden 2 km from Rani’s house. The garden belongs to a politician.” They have decided to frame charges of rape and murder only after the post-mortem report comes through.

The body of the deceased has been sent to Kancheepuram Government Hospital for autopsy.

The Vidhutala Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) cadre blocked traffic in protest of the death of the girl near the Kancheepuram Collector’s office alleging that the police were helping the ‘upper caste’ perpetrators.  

This isn’t the first murder of a Dalit woman. Last year in Thalavaipatti, a village on the outskirts of Salem, a man beheaded his 13-year-old neighbour, Rajalakshmi for she had allegedly spurned his advances.

In May this year, six relatives of a Dalit woman, including a juvenile were arrested for the murder of a woman for having an affair with an ‘upper-caste’ Hindu and bringing disrespect to the family. 

Reports by the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) show that the conviction rate for rapes against Dalit women is under 2% compared to the conviction rate of 25% in rape cases against women from other castes in India.

Dalit women number over 100 million and according to the National Crime Records Bureau, more than four Dalit women are raped every day. The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, an NGO, says over 23 percent of Dalit women report being raped, and many have reported multiple instances of rape.

The caste system has ensured widespread impunity in cases of violence where the perpetrator is of a dominant caste, with most getting away with their crimes.

There are many reasons why crime against Dalit women is on the rise. Vulnerability, insecure living conditions and their fight to climb up the ladder apart, the biggest issue that women face is the caste-based power dynamics. Rape is about power and all the cases of sexual violence against Dalit women by upper caste Hindus, be it in rural or urban areas, is just an exercise of power. Till the law, doesn’t acknowledge the problems faced by these women for being from a lower caste, and tilt in their favour to actually protect them, this problem will not wane any time soon.

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The FIR also stated that two of the accused held the man down and thrashed him while the other three raped the woman behind some sand dunes. After which the accused changed places, with the two men who were beating the victim and going on to rape the woman. They also made a video recording of the incident and threatened the victims, by saying that they would “kill them if they complained to the police,” the FIR said.

Speaking at a press conference, Alwar’s Inspector General of Police, S. Sengathir, said that the couple did not initially make a complaint but decided to do so after the video went viral.

The accused have been identified as Indraj Gurjar, Chotelal, Ashok, Mahesh and Hansraj.

A senior police officer, on condition of anonymity, said that according to preliminary investigation, Gurjar had come to his in-laws’ place and met up with his friends, Chotelal, Ashok, Mahesh and Hansraj on the day of the incident. “When Ashok and Chotelal went to the market to buy cold drinks, they spotted the couple passing by. They then called Gurjar, Mahesh and Hansraj and followed them on their motorcycles for a few kilometers and then stopped them.”

On Tuesday, Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Kapil Garg said that five of the accused have been booked and the police have arrested one of them — Indraj Gurjar — while four others are absconding. “We have constituted 14 teams which are searching for the absconding accused, we hope to nab them soon…,” said Garg.

The accused are from the Gujjar caste that dominates the area so a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been registered against them.

The victim’s family has alleged that the police failed to take timely action due to elections which led to the video going viral. “We were constantly getting threatening calls from the accused who had also taken money from my brother and was blackmailing him for more. We implored the police to take action as we feared they would circulate the video. The police, including officials of the Thana Ghazi police station told us that due to election work, they have less personnel and so asked us to wait till the elections got over,” said the husband’s brother. Adding further, he said, “The police stepped into action only after the video was circulated on social media by the accused….”

Predictably, the police have denied the allegations.“The very fact that we had registered the case and set up teams to arrest the accused indicate we are trying our best to catch the accused. Now since elections are over in the region, we have pressed in more teams to trace the accused,” S Sengathir said.

DGP Kapil Garg, meanwhile, said that Rajasthan is not ‘rapistan’ and the police did not suppress the news of the crime because of the elections.

While the victim and her family are going through a traumatic time, the politicians are not leaving a single chance to target each other and play the blame game to gain brownie points. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders attacked the Congress government on grounds of breakdown in law and order. It further attacked Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who holds the home department, for conspiring to suppress the brutal crime given the elections in the region. At a press conference, state BJP president, Madan Lal Saini, demanded the resignation of Gehlot over the incident.

However, Gehlot condemned the incident and described it as unfortunate. He said, “I’m taking this case seriously, state DGP himself is monitoring the case & culprits will be punished.”

Expressing his commitment to the safety of women, Gehlot said: “The state government is committed for women safety. Nearly a dozen police teams have been formed to arrest the accused and one arrest has been made. The victim and her family are given protection.”

Taking action in the case, the state government on Tuesday removed Alwar SP Rajeev Pachar. The station house officer of Thana Ghazi police station has also been suspended for delay in initial action.

Related Articles:

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2. Between Promise and Action: Dalits in post-2014 India
3. Dalit woman stoned to death for not withdrawing sexual harassment complaint

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