NHRC notice to MP DGP on murder of Dalit girl by her rapist

New Delhi, Dec 12 (UNI) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police, seeking within four weeks a report on the incident of a minor dalit girl being burnt alive by her alleged rapist, who belongs to the upper caste.

The Commission also sought information whether any compensation was paid to the victim when she was alive or to the next of her kin after her death.

Taking suo motu cognizance on a newspaper report, the Commission said if the contents of the report are true it is a serious issue of human rights violation.

According to the November 23 report, the 15-year-old girl had refused to drop rape charge against the upper caste youth She was burnt alive on November 21 while she was asleep, it added.

The girl had been allegedly been raped in July and the matter was pending in a court in Horshangabad where she was to appear in a month.

The victim had told the police before she died of the burn injuries at a Hospital in Pipariya that Chhote Singh Rajput had threatened to kill her if she did not change the statement in the court, the report said.

''The victim's mother had also said that the accused had warned them on the day of the incident that he would burn them, set their house on fire and cut the victim's father into pieces,'' it said .

The report said the victim's aunt had seen Chhote Singh Rajput escaping into fields. He was arrested the day later.

The upper caste villagers, however, have denied the charges and have accused the police with being partisan to the victim.

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