India: Body of a 17-year-old missing girl found floating in a river in Uttar Pradesh, family alleges rape

Yesterday, the body of a 17-year-old girl, who went missing from a village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, three days ago, was recovered from a river. Reportedly, the police had said that her face and the upper portion of the body were burnt with acid to hide her identity. However, on Thursday, police said that her post-mortem examination neither confirmed rape, nor acid burns on her body.

While the first post mortem report said that the high school student died of drowning, her family suspects rape.

Reportedly, the girl who lived in a village in Dhaurahra area of the district, had gone missing on August 17 after she went out to graze cattle. Three days later, her body was found floating in Varuna river.

Initially, the locals did not allow the police to take the body out of the river, and staged a protest on the Bhadohi-Jaunpur road demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.

According to a report by the Press Trust of India, the villagers were pacified, and the police sent her body for an autopsy.

Today, based on the post mortem conducted by a panel of two doctors, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ram Badan Singh said that her death had been caused by drowning and since the body had remained too long in the water it had turned black, leading the police to suspect acid burns.

According to the report, the deceased had not been raped, the SP said.

However, the girl’s parents alleged that she had been murdered after rape. On the request of her parents, the police have now sent the body for a second post mortem.

The police official added that on the demand of the family members, another autopsy will be conducted by a panel of five doctors, before cremation, and it will also be filmed on video.

According to an Indian news report, the father of the deceased has named two brick kiln owners, who were taken into custody and were questioned.