A day after the 16-year-old gang rape victim died of burn injuries, the police said the girl, in her dying declaration, said two of the accused had set her on fire.
This suggests that the victim, who had said she was raped twice in October, was burnt to death, contrary to earlier reports that said she had tried to immolate herself.
“The girl in the dying declaration before a doctor and an investigating officer said she was set on fire by two accused Ratan Sil and Minta Sil,” a senior police officer told The Hindu .
The revelation came hours after the victim’s parents alleged the same.
“My daughter told the police that she was set on fire by others. They poured kerosene and then lit a match…, ” the victim’s mother told journalists.
Earlier, family members had alleged that associates of the accused were threatening the girl to withdraw the case. Unable to take the pressure, the girl set herself on fire on December 23, they had said.
The girl’s parents also met Governor M.K. Narayanan on Wednesday and sought death penalty for the culprits and security for his family. The father alleged that he was being threatened and harassed by the police.
In a letter submitted to the Governor, the father narrated how the police repeatedly threatened the family members to perform their girl’s final rites on Tuesday night and leave the State.
