India: 18-year-old woman dies after being set on fire
Five men douse woman with kerosene, torch her, throw body outside of home in northern India in latest case of women-directed violence in sub-continent
An 18-year-old woman died Saturday after allegedly being set on fire by five men in northern India, according to a Reuters TV report.
The American CBS network reported the girl suffered burns on 95 percent of her body in Thursday's attack, in which a group of men allegedly doused her in kerosene and set her ablaze as she was on her way home in the country's northern Uttar Pradesh state.
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"An 18-year-old girl in Bijnor's Heempur area was set ablaze by four to five men and was thrown outside her house. Her parents rushed her to a district hospital where she died during her treatment," said a police statement, according to the Reuters report.
Indian media reported the girl, named Kiran, was accused by a friend's family of helping her escape home.
Police said that before she died, the victim identified the accused by name to the local magistrate. One suspect has been arrested and the search for the remaining suspects is ongoing.
Five men senteced to life for rape of Swiss tourist (Photo:EPA)
The attack is similar to one earlier this month, in which a 20-year-old female college student was set on fire in the same state after claiming she was raped.
The CBS report noted that India has seen a rash of high-profile cases of violence against women in recent months, including the alleged rapes of foreign tourists. Also Saturday, six men convicted of gang-raping a Swiss woman were sentenced to life in prison. The 39-year-old was attacked while camping with her husband in March.
That same month, a British woman in fear of being sexually assaulted jumped from a hotel balcony. In June, an American woman was allegedly gang-raped in rural northern India. And in December, the gang-rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old woman on a public bus sparked public outrage and led to a series of street protests.
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