- Officials confirmed that three men and a priest were arrested for the rape and murder of a 9-year-old child in New Delhi, India.
- The 53-year-old priest and three workers allegedly attacked her after she went to the crematorium to fetch water.
- The case triggered protests from activists and residents, who held placards, hoping to let their voices be heard.
Indian police said a priest and three other men were accused of gang-raping and murdering a 9-year-old girl of low caste. The case sparked several days of protests in New Delhi.
The girl was allegedly attacked by a 53-year-old priest and three workers on August 1 after going to the crematorium to fetch water.
The four men have been detained since they were detained in early August and will face the death penalty.
The girl’s mother told the police earlier that these people called her to the crematorium, claiming that her daughter had been electrocuted.
They told her that if she reported the crime to the police, the doctor who performed the autopsy would harvest and sell her child’s organs.
Her daughter’s body was subsequently cremated, and some locals intervened and removed some charred remains from the fire.
The government said in a statement late Saturday that the Delhi police’s 400-page allegation form cited “scientific, technical and other evidence” and witness testimony.
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It added that it pushed to file charges within 30 days of the alleged incident, which reflected its “zero tolerance” for crimes against women and girls in a country of 1.3 billion people.
According to data from the National Criminal Records Bureau, the country reported an average of nearly 90 rapes of girls and women every day in 2019.
But it is believed that a large number of sexual assaults have not been reported.
The case also highlights the treatment of the 200 million Dalit community, which is the lowest group under the country’s caste system.
In India, communities have long faced discrimination and abuse. Activists say that since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, attacks on Dalits have increased.
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