The brutal gang rape and murder of a 9-year-old Dalit girl has sparked angry protests and highlighted abuses against the marginalized community in India. Police in capital New Delhi have arrested four suspects including a Hindu priest at a crematorium in connection with the girl’s death last Sunday.
The victim was cremated under a false pretext that she had been electrocuted, triggering protests across the country for the death penalty to be imposed. The latest crime resembles an equally heinous murder reported from Hathras village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh about one year ago.
A 20-year-old Dalit girl was raped and quietly cremated in the dark of night without the consent of her family, which also triggered nationwide protests. Dalits or former untouchables were not included in the ancient Hindu caste system, and they still face widespread discrimination.
About 201 million of India’s 1.2 billion people are Dalits, while about 60 percent of India’s 25 million Christians are from Dalit and tribal origins.