NCW blames UP police in Fatehpur rape, burn case

Fatehpur (Uttar Pradesh), Dec 16 (IANS) The National Commission for Women (NCW) member, Kamlesh Gautam, who met the 18-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her ‘uncle’ and then set on fire on Saturday in Fatehpur’s Ubipur village, has questioned the role of the police in the incident.

The police had claimed that the girl was in a relationship with her ‘uncle’ and had set herself on fire after the village Panchayat disapproved of the relationship.

“It is wrong to hold a village Panchayat in a case related to rape. If the girl had set herself on fire, as the police claims, then where is the kerosene can used in the incident?” she asked

Kamlesh Gautam said that the accused ‘uncle’ had set the girl on fire and the police was attempting to prove the girl wrong.

Gautam also met the girl at the Kanpur hospital and asked the District Magistrate to get her shifted to the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi since her condition was critical. The girl has suffered about 90 per cent burn injuries.

The girl was allegedly set on fire by the ‘uncle’ who had raped her.

The district administration, however, maintained that the victim had set herself on fire after the Panchayat members said that she could not marry the man as he was a distantly related ‘uncle’ to her.