Murder and cremation of Dalit girl in Delhi's Gurmandi creates suspicion

New Delhi: A 17-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped to death on October 4 in her landlord's house in Gurmandi in North Campus area of Delhi University, where she has been working as a maid since September 26.

The girl, hailing from Bihar, had been facing severe atrocities which she tried to let her relatives know but was restrained from it by the landlady, her family alleged.

The victim's family said that the girl was forced to sleep in the drivers' room and had tried to inform the family about the mental and physical abuse she was facing through a phone call before her death, but was prevented by the landlady.

She was found hanging in the driver's room. The family members who arrived at the site were not allowed to see the body.  They were allowed only after a heated exchange with the police. About 12 relatives of the girl, (eight women and four men) who assembled at the landlord's home searching for the body were taken to custody by the police and were beaten up.

Later, police shifted the victim's body and gave no whereabouts about the body of the girl.

The police, on the next morning, sent the body for post-mortem and allowed the family members to visit there for around 5 minutes, later forcefully took the body and cremated in the presence of about 300 police personnel.

So far, no FIR has been lodged by the police and the post-mortem report received mentions no traces of rape, and cites the pressure in neck as cause of death.

The family members have been protesting against the inaction of Delhi police who haven't even filed an FIR and have illegally cremated the body.

Various organisations are protesting against the horrific incident and the police's ruthlessness. A protest has been conducted along with the family members in front of the Model Town Police Station by various organisations including BSCEM, DSU (Delhi University), PACHAS, SFI, etc.

Around 10 of the protesters were taken into custody of which five were women, including two relatives of the victim. The five men include activists of BSCEM and DSU (DU) and other organisations and a reporter of The Caravan.

The police in custody brutally tortured the arrested men.