Hyderabad Minor, Set on Fire for Resisting Sexual Assault, Dies

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(Photo Courtesy: Aasawari Kulkarni/Feminism In India)

A 13-year-old Dalit girl in Khammam district of Telangana who was set on fire allegedly by her employer’s son for resisting his sexual advances, died weeks after battling injuries.

Khammam police officials who are investigating the case confirmed to TNM that the girl succumbed to injuries on Thursday night at a private hospital in Hyderabad. Police said that the body will be brought to her native place following postmortem in Hyderabad.

The girl was working as a domestic help in Allam Subba Rao's house in Pallegudam of Khammam district. The accused Allam Maraiah (26) was arrested soon after the incident came to light. The accused also reportedly belongs to Scheduled Caste (SC)/Dalit community.

The minor girl had sustained 70% burn injuries. Though the incident took place on September 18, it came to light in the first week of October after the girl disclosed the incident to her parents.

She reportedly told her father, “When I was in the room, he came inside and asked me to sleep with him. When I refused, he forced himself on me. I struggled a lot. He tore my clothes and later set me ablaze and ran away from the place.”

She was being treated at private hospitals in Khammam. She was later taken to Osmania General Hospital (OGH) in Hyderabad and then to different private hospitals in the city, according to The Hindu. The police and district welfare authorities have taken the statement of the victim.

Police have registered a case under under Sections 376 (punishment for rape), 307 (attempt to murder), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of IPC along with Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

(This article was first published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission.)