While the country is still euphoric about mention of sanitary napkins in the Independence Day speech and the plan in works to change the legal age of marriage for women to 21 from the existing 18, a sordid reality of rapes is still plaguing the country.
When the nation was celebrating its 74th Independence Day, several cases of crimes against women were reported from many parts of the country.?
The rape case from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh has jolted the nation.
A 13-year-old Dalit girl was raped and murdered fro defecating in a farmland on Friday, August 15. The girl was missing after she had gone to relieve herself in the field. She was found in the cane field later.
Her family had alleged that the girl had her tongue cut and eyes gouged out. However, the postmorten report stated that the death was due to strangulation after rape.
Another incident was reported from Delhi, when a 13-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped when she stepped out of her house to use the washroom. The incident took place on the night of August 14.
According to the police, one the accused is girl's neighbour. According to a report by Indian Express, the girl went to use the common washroom but was dragged by her neighbour to a jungle nearby. Police said the accused allegedly raped her there while his friend stood guard.
R P Meena, DCP (Southeast), told IE, ¡°A case has been registered under sections of rape and POCSO Act. The accused fled the spot after the crime; we have detained both the accused, local police are questioning them.¡±
A teenage girl was allegedly raped and signed with cigarette butts by two men in the Gola area of Gorakhpur district in Uttar Pradesh.
The girl was found unconscious on Saturday and is currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
According to reports, the teenage girl of a brick kiln labourer went to fetch water from a hand pump on Friday night, when the two accused forcibly took her to a hut near a pond in the village on a motorcycle and allegedly raped her. They also tortured the girl by inflicting burn injuries on her with cigarette butts and when she fell unconscious, fled the spot.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a drastic impact on the economy and has proven to be a challenge for people. However, it did not stop criminals from taking law in their hands and doing heinous crimes. Of late, several rape cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh and is well on its way to become the rape capital of India.