Hundreds have of women staged protests
in West Bengal after an 11-year-old girl was soaked in kerosene and
burned to death by men who tried to rape her.
The
youngster from Salkia in Howrah, near Kolkata in the eastern Indian
state, died in hospital four days after neighbours found her in flames
and screaming for help.
In
her last words she allegedly accused two men she recognised of setting
her on fire after she threatened to tell her parents of their attempt to
rape on her.
Densely populated: People buy and sell flowers
at the colourful Mullick Ghat Flower Market in Howrah, near to where an
11-year-old girl was allegedly burned to death by men after she resisted
their rape attempt
Two
local men, Kundan Mullick and Suraj Mullick, have been arrested in
connection with the attempted rape and murder, Howrah police told the Times of India.
The
girl, whose name has not been released, was rushed to hospital last
Wednesday after she was found by neighbours. Her landlady Sikha Mondal
was among those who witnessed the grisly scene.
Mrs
Mondal said: 'The girl, before fainting on my hands, said when she had
gone to the ground nearby to relieve herself, Kundan appeared from the
bush, gagged her and tried to open her clothes.
'She
then bit Kundan on his hands, pushed him back and tried to run away.
Kundan then pushed her from behind, and when she stumbled and fell on
the ground he threw some liquid on her and set her ablaze.'
Since
the girl was too ill to speak from her hospital bed, her last words to
her landlady are being taken as her dying statement, police said.
The girl's father had earlier told the Times Of India that Kundan, who was arrested on Saturday, had threatened his family after a 'scuffle' with his wife a few days before.
He
accused the suspect of trying to rape his daughter 'in revenge' and
then setting her on fire after she recognised him and threatened to tell
her parents everything.
Neighbours
who found the girl doused the flames and took her to the nearby Howrah
State General Hospital. She was later taken to Calcutta Medical College
and Hospital where she died of her injuries on Sunday.
Doctors said she had suffered 70 per cent burns.
Police
said that during interrogations Kundan had denied setting the girl on
fire and claimed it had been done by his friend Suraj.
A
police officer said that Suraj was arrested at his 'hideout' in the
neighbourhood and that investigators had recovered the bottle they
believe contained the kerosene.
He said police were considering taking the duo back to the scene of the crime to reconstruct the events of the murder.
Around
500 women from the area staged protests in front of the local police
station, blocking roads and demanding that the suspects be hanged.
dailymail.co.uk
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