An Indian woman who died after being dragged for more than an hour by a car allegedly driven by drunk men after an accident suffered more than 40 injuries, including a fractured skull and ribs, her family say.
Anjali Singh, 20, was riding a scooter on New Year’s Eve when she was hit by a car in the Sultanpuri area of New Delhi.
By one account, her leg got caught in the car and she was dragged for nearly 12km before the men realised what had happened and left her body on the road, where it was found by passers-by.
All five men were arrested on charges of manslaughter and are in police custody.
Police are investigating the matter but have so far maintained that it was an accident.
Reading out the postmortem report, one of her relatives, Dr Brijesh Singh Chaurasia, said on Wednesday that she was “slowly killed”.
“Because of the friction, her skin was burnt. There were 26 grazed abrasions in the body. Some injuries are conspicuous due to smudging. Her ribs were exposed from the back and both the lungs were almost thrown out,” Dr Chaurasia said.
“She had immense blood loss that caused shock and she also suffered ante-mortem injuries,” he said.
Ms Singh's cremation in the city on Tuesday was attended by a huge gathering, with scores of people carrying banners that read “Give Justice to Anjali”.
Although the postmortem has ruled out any sexual assault on the woman, the case brings back memories of the horrific gang-rape of a physiotherapy student in the city in a moving bus in 2012.
The incident has also become a political issue in the city where police report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party government.
The city’s Aam Aadmi Party government has been pointing fingers at the BJP, claiming that there has been a lapse in law and order.
Ms Singh's death occurred on a night when more than 20,000 police officers were patrolling the city.
Manish Sisodia, Delhi’s deputy chief minister, on Wednesday met the victim's family members and assured them of legal support and medical aid.
“It is painful. The woman was the lone breadwinner. Her mother is ill. We will provide her [with] medical assistance and arrange a job for her family member,” Mr Sisodia said.
“It is unfortunate that the BJP puts all its efforts into silencing opposition but is failing to control police. They’re not bothered about the law and order situation in the city.”
