Karauli rape and murder case takes unexpected turn – parents ‘poisoned 11-year-old and set her on fire’, captured

Speaking to ThePrint in May, the girl’s parents said they were not with her at the time of her death.

According to Brijesh Jyoti Upadhyay, Superintendent of Police (Karauli), the parents were arrested on June 15. “These are the results of our entire investigation. She was not raped. Her mother burnt her and her father poisoned her,” Upadhyay said.

However, the police statement, a copy of which was obtained by ThePrint, said that after an argument with his mother, the child fled to a field about 200 metres from his family’s rented house in Hindaun town, where he doused himself with kerosene and set himself on fire. She suffered nearly 65 percent burns, mostly on the second half of her body, as seen in photographs obtained by ThePrint.

Given the severity of her injuries, her chances of survival are slim, doctors said.

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“She must have herself to blame”

In her testimony, recorded five days after the alleged rape on May 9, the minor had identified at least one attacker – a 30-year-old man who happened to own the field where she was allegedly attacked.

The police version of events suggests that the parents planned the attack to target the man. Police suspect that the minor was apparently repeatedly shown a photo of him from 2015 by her parents, which enabled her to identify him.

“She must have done it to herself or maybe she was a burden to her parents; anything is possible,” Mukesh Sharma, a neighbour of the accused, told ThePrint last month. “He (the accused) is an innocent, pure man. If he is arrested, we will take up the matter with the authorities,” Sharma added.

According to Meena, the girl’s family is being “tortured and beaten” in prison. He added that they spoke last night around 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, a protest is currently underway in Jaipur by villagers demanding justice for the family. People from the city have also joined the protest.

As ThePrint previously reported, the 11-year-old girl was “highly intelligent” and communicative. She attended a public school for children with disabilities and spent summer holidays at home.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)

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