14-year-old dies after being set ablaze for fighting off rapists

The girl sustained burns to 80% of her body but was able to identify two suspects before passing away.

A schoolgirl in Chhattisgarh, central India became the victim of murder following attempted rape. After failing to rape the 14-year-old, two men set her on fire and left her to die. When her family found her, she was still alive. She was able to name the two suspects before she succumbed to her injuries. Police arrested the suspects and an investigation has been launched.

The victim, who is a resident of the Bemetara district of Chhattisgarh, was alone in a field when she was attacked on Monday, June 22. She was merely 200 meters away from her home when the attackers, who were known to her, abducted her. The two individuals knew that the girl was alone in the field so they approached her and dragged her to an isolated corner of the field.

While the attackers tried to force themselves on her, the victim resisted them. The duo realised that their attempts had been thwarted. Angered by the resistance and fearful of being caught, they decided to murder their target. They set her on fire and fled from the scene leaving the girl to die.

The girl's family was not at home when the attack took place. When they returned home to find her missing, they began searching for her. She was found in the field severely burnt but still alive. Her family took her to Ambedkar hospital in Raipur. Doctors at the hospital informed the family that the girl had sustained burns to 80 percent of her body.

The family filed a zero First Information Report (FIR) in Raipur. The case was then handed over the Bemetara police as the incident took place in Majgaon village under their jurisdiction. Speaking to the Times of India, Bemetara Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel revealed that the police had arrested two individuals.

Patel confirmed that before her death on Wednesday, June 24, the girl named two school seniors as her attackers. The police named 22-year-old Sharad Jaiswal as one of the suspects, while the other suspect's name will not be revealed as he is 14-years-old. The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).