Police arrest 14 after teen raped and burnt to death in India

The 16-year-old was abducted from her home when her family was away to attend a wedding and raped in a forested area

FILE - In this April 15, 2018 file photo, an Indian protestor stands with a placard during a protest against two recently reported rape cases as they gather near the Indian parliament in New Delhi, India. Indian police on Saturday, May 5, arrested 14 people suspected of kidnapping, raping and burning to death a teenage girl, the latest in rising crimes against women in India despite toughening of laws. Responding to widespread outrage over the recent rape and killings of young girls and other attacks on children, India's government last month approved the death penalty for people convicted of raping children under age 12. (AP Photo/Oinam Anand) — In this April 15, 2018 photo, an Indian protester stands with a placard during a protest against two recently reported rape cases as they gather near the Indian parliament in New Delhi. Oinam Anand / AP

May 05, 2018

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Police arrested 14 men on Saturday after a teenager was raped and burnt alive at her home in eastern India, in the latest case of sexual violence in the country.

The 16-year-old was abducted from her home when her family was away to attend a wedding and raped in a forested area of Jharkhand state on Thursday, a local police officer said.

The family complained to the village council which on Friday ordered two accused men to do 100 sit-ups and pay a fine of 50,000 rupees (Dh2,474).

Village councils of local elders often settle disputes, bypassing India's lengthy and expensive judicial system. Although they carry no legal weight, they exert massive influence over rural life.

Police said the punishment enraged the men, who beat the girl's parents before setting her on fire.

"The two accused thrashed the parents and rushed to the house where they set the girl ablaze with the help of their accomplices," Ashok Ram, the officer in charge of the local police station, said.

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Indian government approves death penalty for child rapists

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Mr Ram said they had arrested 14 men over the case so far although the main suspect was still on the run.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said he was shocked by the "gruesome incident" and called for stringent action against the culprits.

The incident comes as India reels under a string of violent sexual crimes despite tightening of laws.

On Friday, a 55-year-old man allegedly committed suicide after being accused of raping a nine-year-old in southern Andhra Pradesh state, the Press Trust of India reported.

Protests have been held across the country since horrific details emerged last month about an eight year-old girl being gang-raped and murdered in Jammu and Kashmir.

Some 40,000 rape cases were reported in 2016, with many more believed to go unreported because of stigma attached to sex crimes in deeply patriarchal India.