NEW DELHI, Dec 31: In an incident that has shocked the nation for the scale of brutality, an 18-year-old Dalit girl working at an oil mill was pushed into a cauldron with hot oil and left her with serious burns when she protested sexual harassment at Bhagpat in Uttar Pradesh.
She has been moved to Delhi for treatment and the three accused, including the mill owner, have been arrested.
A complaint filed by the woman’s brother on Sunday said members of his family worked at an oil mill at Dhanaura Silvernagar village. His sister was working at the mill when the accused — mill owner Pramod and his two associates Raju and Sandip — started harassing her. When she protested, the accused allegedly hurled casteist abuses and then pushed her into the cauldron full of hot oil, her brother said.
In a statement recorded from her bed at the Delhi hospital, the victim girl said the accused misbehaved with her and verbally abused her before pushing her into the cauldron. She has suffered burns on more than half of her body, with her legs and arms seriously scalded.
Based on her brother’s complaint, the police registered a case under sections relating to attempt to murder, assaulting a woman and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “We have arrested the three accused and further action is being taken,” Circle Officer Vijay Chaudhary said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
