A woman, who was “sold” for ₹10,000 and raped by people for whom she was forced to work as a domestic help, set herself on fire after Uttar Pradesh police officers allegedly refused to register her complaint, according to the Delhi Commission for Women.
The woman is now admitted to a Ghaziabad hospital with 80% burn injuries.
‘Matter under probe’
The U.P. police, however, disputed the allegation that senior officers turned her away and said the matter was under investigation.
DCW chief Swati Maliwal wrote a letter to U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging him to investigate the police officers in Hapur district for refusing to register the complaint of the woman.
She wrote that the woman suffered intolerable abuse at the hands of the U.P. police. Ms. Maliwal said because of the insensitive and shameful attitude of the police officers, the woman had to set herself on fire.
According to the DCW chief’s letter, the woman was “sold” to a man, who had taken loans from several people, in Hapur for ₹10,000. He forced her to work as domestic help for those people without paying her. The woman was repeatedly abused and gang-raped at these places.
The woman has alleged that she approached the Hapur SP and other senior officers but they did not register her complaint nor took action against the people she had named. Following this, she attempted suicide by immolating herself on April 28.
NHRC notice
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission on Monday sent a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the State’s police chief over the incident.
