Jodhpur: A Dalit woman was allegedly raped and then burnt alive in Rajasthan's Balmer district two days back. The victim died during treatment last evening. Relatives of the victim accused the deputy superintendent of Pachpadra police of harassing them when they went to file the complaint. Union minister Kailash Chaudhary accused the Rajasthan government of failing to maintain law and order.
The victim, a mother of four children was a resident of Akadli village in Barmer district under Pachpadra police station area. The accused, named Shakur Khan entered the victim's house on Thursday afternoon and allegedly raped her. He then poured thinner and set the victim on fire. After hearing the victim screaming, her sister ran to the next room but the accused escaped after rushing her away.
Initially, the victim was taken to Balotra Government Hospital, from where she was referred to Jodhpur and was admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital. But, she died during treatment on Friday evening. Soon after this, people of the community gathered at the hospital premises protesting against the incident. They demanded action against police along with a compensation of Rs one crore and a government job for a family member. Also, they refused to allow the body to be taken for post-mortem till their demands were met. The victim's relatives and people of the community accused Pachpadra deputy superintendent of police Madanlal of harassing them after the incident. They alleged that papers pertaining to their land were taken to the police station and they were made to wait at the police station for a long time. It was only after people gathered at the police station that the case was registered.
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Amidst this, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Chaudhary reached the hospital and claimed that such incidents were occurring due to the deteriorating the law and order situation in the state. Chaudhary said he would himself talk to chief minister Ashok Gehlot over the matter and seek stern action against the accused police officials. Also, he assured to do his best to ensure that the demands of the family members are met. On Friday, a scuffle had broken out between BJP and Congress over allegations and counter-allegations in connection with the incident. Local MLA Madan Prajapat also reached the hospital to pacify the victim's family.
