New Delhi: In a tragic and horrific incident a 16-year-old Dalit girl killed herself Uttar Pradesh after being raped and then threatened by the man accused of committing the crime.In fact, the police even refused to file an FIR against the accused Balkishan.
The girl, Gomti (name changed), was raped by the upper caste youth in their Khadakhar village on February 12.
Four days later she committed suicide, after the rapist came to her house again to threaten her. Her mother could only watch helplessly as her 16-year-old daughter burned herself to death.
"He came inside our house and took my sister inside a room. We were all screaming. After some time my sister put herself on fire and died," says the girl's sister Kiran.
The family says Gomti took the extreme step because there was no one to help them. The police had first refused to file an FIR against the accused, Balkishan, when they reported the rape
"The police did not file our case nor did they catch the culprit. That's why we have lost our child," says the girl's maternal grandfather.
But after her death on February 16, police hurriedly filed an FIR and arrested Balkishan.
After that senior officers got down to defending the police officials who had refused to file the FIR in the first place.
"There was a case of rape. The culprit was arrested and investigation is on," says SP Suryanath Singh.
The rapist is now behind bars but the police officials who allowed him to roam free and drive Gomti to commit suicide have still not been held accountable.