A 44-year-old Dalit woman was burnt alive after being raped

A 44-year-old Dalit woman who was raped and set ablaze in Rajasthan’s Barmer died of burns during treatment on Saturday. After protesting outside the mortuary hospital for more than 18 hours, his family has now agreed to a post-mortem.

They also alleged that the police initially refused to register a case. The Dalit community protested the incident and demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore to the family, government jobs and capital punishment for the accused. After being assured by the district administration to meet their respective demands, the family members ended their protest and agreed to the postmortem.

What did the police say?

According to the police, in the complaint filed in this regard, it is said that 30-year-old Shakoor Khan entered the woman’s house at 1 pm on Thursday and raped her. After the incident, the accused threw acid on the woman and set her on fire and fled from the spot. After this, on hearing a loud noise, the surrounding women rushed to the spot. The women and others put out the fire but by then the woman was severely burnt. He was first admitted to a government hospital in Barmer and later referred to Jodhpur where he died early on Saturday morning.

The woman’s relatives allege

The woman’s relatives alleged that the police initially refused to register a case. In this matter, the people of the Dalit community protested outside the police station. The accused, who was arrested by the police, was initially booked under Sections 376, 326, 450 and SC-ST Act. But then Section 302 was added to the FIR.

What Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said

A war of words has also broken out between Cabinet Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Congress MLA from Balotra Madan Prajapat. Shekhawat tweeted, ‘Balotra is demanding justice, government is silent. Congress has not stopped crime in Rajasthan, on the contrary, it has thrown law and order into a ditch. A government minister who sees masculinity in those who rob women of their dignity, is he not a criminal in the people’s court?