Dec. 8 (UPI) — A 23-year-old woman who was set on fire while walking to testify in a rape trial has died of her injuries, multiple sources reported Saturday.
Police in India, where the woman lived, said Thursday that five men, including two she had accused of raping her, attacked the woman on her way to court, poured kerosene on her and set her on fire.
NDTV reports police used water cannons against demonstrators who held a candlelight march in New Delhi Saturday to demand justice for the woman.
The five men involved in the incident, including the accused rapists, have been arrested.
The woman’s father told India Today that the men she accused of raping her had threatened her and her family constantly, but police took no action.
In March she filed a first information report accusing two men from her father’s village in Unnao and filming it. According to police, one of the men had been in a relationship with her but had “physically exploited” her, refused to get married and raped her, along with with another man.
Following the attack the woman was transported to a hospital where doctors say she died of extensive burn injuries late Friday night.
The woman’s family called for the execution of the men who attacked her.
“She told me, ‘Brother, please save me.’ I am very sad that I could not save her,” her brother told reporters on Saturday, adding that those involved in the incident do not have the right to live.
The case is one of several recent stories of violence against women that have sparked protests and calls for justice across the country.
On Friday police shot and killed men accused of raping and murdering a young veterinarian in Hyderabad, sparking a mix of celebration and criticism. On Thursday a young woman’s charred body was found in a mango orchard in Malda, and police said she was likely raped and intentionally burned.
