Amid outpouring of anguish, the last rites of the 13-year-old Dalit girl, who died during treatment for her burn injuries at a private hospital in Hyderabad on Thursday night, nearly four weeks after she was set ablaze by a 25-year-old married man when she resisted his alleged rape attempt at his house here, were performed at her native village Pallegudem near here on Friday afternoon.
The victim, who worked as a domestic help at the house of the accused Allam Maraiah, of Mustafanagar here, suffered around 70% burns after the latter allegedly poured petrol on her before setting her ablaze after a failed rape attempt on September 18.
In view of the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the poor parents of the girl sent her (their second daughter) to Khammam to work as a domestic help to surmount mounting debt burden, sources close to the victim's family said.
The gruesome incident came to light around 15 days after the actual crime as the accused, who hails from the same community as the victim, admitted her to a local private hospital clandestinely and tried to cover up the crime by resorting to intimidating tactics.
For nearly a fortnight, the girl suffered in silence at the private hospital, the management of which kept the matter confidential and treated the injured girl in the regular ward, devoid of a specialised burns ward.
The incident came to the fore belatedly on October 5 after a video clip showing the bed-ridden girl narrating her heart-wrenching ordeal went viral on social media.
Following public outcry, the authorities shifted the girl to Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad the same day and a few days later moved her to a private hospital in the State capital for better treatment.
The district health authorities sealed Sri Pooja hospital in Khammam on October 8 for failing to inform the police about the Medico Legal Case.
The Khammam one town police booked Maraiah under the provisions of the POCSO Act and other relevant Sections of the IPC on October 5. On October 6, Maraiah was arrested and produced before a local court. He was remanded in judicial custody for two weeks on the same day.
The body of the victim was brought to Pallegudem from Hyderabad amid tight security arrangements on Friday morning.
Transport Minister P Ajay Kumar along with Collector R V Karnan consoled the bereaved family members of the victim and assured to look after their welfare. The officials handed over a cheque for ₹2 lakh to the parents of the victim.
Tension prevailed in the village later in the day when activists of various women's organisations including the AIDWA and the POW staged a demonstration with the body of the victim at the burial ground.
They raised slogans demanding a speedy trial of the horrific case and harshest punishment for the accused.
The women activists including the AIDWA State secretary Mallu Lakshmi consoled the grieving mother of the victim and vowed to ensure speedy justice for her.
The distraught mother of the victim said, “They (officials) asked me to sign on a paper before handing over a cheque for ₹2 lakh. We want speedy justice and stiffer punishment for the accused, she said crying inconsolably minutes before the final rites of her daughter.
