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Girl, 15, dies after being set on fire for resisting molest in India

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A teenage girl has died in northern India one week after a gang of men set her on fire as punishment for resisting their attempts to molest her, police said on Wednesday (Nov 26).

The horrific incident is the latest in India where sex attacks on women continue to occur on an almost daily basis. 

Police have arrested four men over the attack, which occurred after the 15-year-old girl stepped outside her home in Uttar Pradesh state on Nov 16.

The girl’s family has told police that six men dragged her back inside the house after she objected to their lewd gestures and attempts to touch her.

The men then doused her in kerosene and set her on fire as punishment in a village, 277 kilometres southeast of New Delhi, according to the family.

Local superintendent RK Sahu said that the girl died of her injuries in a local hospital on Sunday night. 

"Four of the six accused have been arrested. All of them belong to the same village and are of the same caste as that of the girl," said Sahu.

Police are now hunting for two of the accused.

Public outrage

In recent years, India has faced intense scrutiny for a series of high-profile rapes that have sparked public outrage.

The fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a bus in Delhi in Dec 2012 sparked massive street protests that led to tougher laws for sexual offenders.

However, rapes still routinely continue to hit the headlines across the country.

Source: AFP

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