Hindu priest and three men arrested for raping & murdering girl, 9
A HINDU Priest and three other men have been charged with raping and murdering a nine-year-old girl in India.
The victim, who has not been named, was allegedly attacked after she was sent by her mother to fetch water from a nearby crematorium in New Delhi on August 1.
The men, who were arrested a day later, have now been formally charged with rape and murder and destruction of evidence.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said they could face the death penalty if found guilty, according to CNN.
The young girl was found by her mother who went searching for her only child after she failed to return more than an hour after she was sent to fetch water.
According to the BBC, she was discovered dead with wet clothes, a bloodied nose, bruised hands and arms, and blue lips, on the crematorium floor.
Her distraught mother told the BBC that when she found the body, she was not allowed to take it away.
Three suspects, including a Hindu priest, closed the gates and refused to let her leave, she said.
The trio told her not to phone the police, claiming officers would “steal her organs and sell them” and also demand an autopsy.
Instead, they forcibly cremated the corpse.
ANGRY PROTESTS
The girl's father and around 150 villagers put out the pyre, but only managed to save the girl's legs – meaning police may never be able to prove if she was raped.
The alleged incident has now sparked four days of protests in India.
Hundreds of protesters burned effigies of Prime Minister Narenda Modi, accusing him of failing to condemn the alleged rape.
They also demanded the suspects face the death penalty.
RAPE CRISIS
It comes as India is facing a rape epidemic that sees cases of serious sexual assault reported every 15 minutes.
However, shocking new stats estimated that 90 percent of attacks go unreported with countless examples of incidents that have been covered up by authorities.
The findings were recently highlighted in a new documentary, India’s Rape Crisis, which aired on Channel 4 last month.
There are currently 76 active politicians who have been accused of crimes against women, including nine accused of rape – despite the prime minister's pledge of zero tolerance for sexual assault in 2014.
The latest victim was a member of the Dalit class, formerly known as the untouchables, and made a living begging outside a Sufi Muslim shrine.
On average 10 Dalit women were raped every day in India last year, according to official figures
And sadly, the latest case is all too common after an eight year girl was allegedly raped in a dumpster in March this year.
Shockingly she was allegedly offered 5p as a bribe to keep the horrific attack secret, according to a local cop.
According to the National Family Health Survey, conducted in 2015-16, nearly 34,000 rapes are reported in the country annually.,
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
Source: Read Full Article