Unnao rape survivor set ablaze: Five-member SIT to probe incident

A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted by the Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow to probe the Unnao incident, where a rape survivor was set on fire by five persons on Thursday.

"I visited the spot in Unnao on Thursday evening and constituted a five-member SIT led by Unnao ASP Vinod Pandey. The team will probe all aspects of the case and submit a report to me," Divisional Commissioner Mukesh Meshram told PTI on Friday.

He, however, did not disclose the time-frame given to the SIT to submit its report.

"The report will come to me soon and I will forward it to the government," Meshram said.

The rape survivor, who suffered serious burns after being set on fire allegedly by five men, including two of the rape accused, on Thursday morning, was airlifted to a Delhi hospital, where her condition was stated to be critical.

The woman, who was allegedly raped in December last year, was on her way to a Rae Bareli court early on Thursday morning when she was attacked.

Aflame, she ran for a while before people saw her and informed the police, who sent her to a community health centre, from where she was sent to the district hospital, before being referred to Lucknow, the police said.

The five men, who have been arrested for the alleged assault on her life, are Harishankar Trivedi, Ram Kishore Trivedi, Umesh Bajpai, Shivam and Shubham Trivedi.

Of the five, Shivam and Shubham Trivedi are accused in the rape case. One of them was arrested and subsequently released on bail.