Unnao rape survivor set ablaze: Five-member SIT to probe incident

A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted by the Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow to probe the Unnao incident, where a rape survivor was set on fire by five persons on Thursday.

"I visited the spot in Unnao on Thursday evening and constituted a five-member SIT led by Unnao ASP Vinod Pandey. The team will probe all aspects of the case and submit a report to me," Divisional Commissioner Mukesh Meshram told PTI on Friday.

He, however, did not disclose the time-frame given to the SIT to submit its report.

"The report will come to me soon and I will forward it to the government," Meshram said.

The rape survivor, who suffered serious burns after being set on fire allegedly by five men, including two of the rape accused, on Thursday morning, was airlifted to a Delhi hospital, where her condition was stated to be critical.

The woman, who was allegedly raped in December last year, was on her way to a Rae Bareli court early on Thursday morning when she was attacked.

Aflame, she ran for a while before people saw her and informed the police, who sent her to a community health centre, from where she was sent to the district hospital, before being referred to Lucknow, the police said.

The five men, who have been arrested for the alleged assault on her life, are Harishankar Trivedi, Ram Kishore Trivedi, Umesh Bajpai, Shivam and Shubham Trivedi.

Of the five, Shivam and Shubham Trivedi are accused in the rape case. One of them was arrested and subsequently released on bail.

Victim’s uncle threatened by the accused

Meanwhile, the victim's uncle has alleged that he has been threatened with "dire consequences" by relatives of the accused.

The victim's uncle, who lives in a rented house in Unnao and runs a small shop, told reporters that a relative of the accused Shivam had called him and threatened that he will have to face "dire consequences".

"Your shop will be set on fire and will not let you live," the victim's uncle described the caller as saying.

"I am going to inform the police and demand action in this regard," he said.

When asked about the threat, Superintendent of Police, Vikrant Veer said, "An information was received in this regard that a distant relative of the victim was threatened. We are making arrangements for his security and there will be no laxity in it."

When asked whether the person, who received threat was the victim's uncle or her distant relative, the SP said, "It does not matter. We will provide him security."

The rape survivor suffered 90 per cent burns after five men, including two rape accused, allegedly set her on fire while she was on her way to court, police said.

One of the two men accused of raping her last year was granted bail 10 days back. The other man had been on the run.

All the five men involved in Thursday morning's attack were arrested within hours and the victim airlifted in the evening from the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital in Lucknow to Delhi.