The burning of a girl student who opposed the advances of three men in Varanasi has reached the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The Varanasi-based NGO, People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), said it wrote to the UNHRC after its pleas to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also represents the city in the Lok Sabha, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and the State police chief went unanswered. The NGO had also approached the National Human Rights Commission and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
“Our case has been accepted by the Human Rights Council and Special Procedures Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the United Nations... It has promised to take necessary action in the case,” PVCHR head Lenin Raghuvanshi told The-Hindu .
“The accused are still roaming free. The Varanasi police are still to book them. The 20-year-old girl, who was being stalked for the past six months by the three youths, had to pay the price of police inaction with her life... The police did not pay heed to the complaints of the deceased and her family members,” alleged Mr. Raghuvanshi.
He said the girl’s ordeal began about six months ago when the three accused — Babudan, Gabbu and Pappu — started harassing her. The girl and her father approached senior police officials, but no action was taken. This emboldened the accused who on December 18 entered her house and tried to rape her while her family members were away. She put up a fight and screamed out loud. The boys then poured kerosene and burnt her, he said. She died on December 26.
“The girl’s father also wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office and sought Mr. Modi’s intervention, he being their local MP. But nothing happened. So we had no option but to approach the United Nations,” Mr. Raghuvanshi said.
