Rape victim ends life after accused let off

LUCKNOW: A 35-year old woman who had accused two people of raping her last year allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from the roof of her residence in Kernalganj area of Gonda district on Monday, a fortnight after the suspects got a clean chit from district police.

In September last year, the victim and her husband had attempted self-immolation outside Vidhan Bhawan in Lucknow to highlight her plight. They then had accused the police of laxity in the investigation.

The victim, a mother of two, had accused Shankar Dayal and his brother Ashok Kumar, also of Kernalganj area, of raping her several times in August last year. The case was investigated first by the local police and then by the district crime branch. Both the investigation officers gave a clean chit to accused in December. The two accused are absconding.

“We have sent the body for post mortem. A case will be lodged as per the complaint filed by the victim’s family members,” said the SP.

Enraged by her death, her family members staged a protest against the police. Additional police force from nearby police stations was rushed to the area to maintain peace.

The victim’s husband said, “The accused had not just raped her but also made a video clip of the act. She was very upset when police gave the accused a clean chit, and so committed suicide.”