As a 23-year-old woman in India was heading to testify against a man who allegedly raped her, a group of men that she says included her rapist attacked her and set her on fire. It's yet another horrifying incident in a country grappling with high levels of sexual violence against women.
One of her doctors at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh says she is in very serious condition, according to NPR.
"She has 90 per cent burn injuries and we are taking utmost care. A team of doctors are observing her," said Ashutosh Dubey, the medical superintendent of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital, told the Times of India.
According to local news reports, the five men took the unnamed victim to a secluded spot, where they poured kerosene on her and set her on fire. Local authorities say all of them have been taken into custody, as Reuters reported.
The rape allegedly happened last December in Unnao district. According to the wire service, police documents indicate that the woman filed a complaint in March about the alleged attack. The accused man was apprehended – but a police officer told the wire service that "the alleged rapist was released last week after securing bail."
