By Cherylann Mollan
An 18-year-old Dalit woman from the southern India state of Kerala has accused 64 men of sexually abusing her since she was 13 years old.
Police have arrested 28 people in connection with the case so far – the men are in custody and have not made any public statement.
The accused, who range between 17 and 47 years of age, include the woman’s neighbours, sports coaches and her father’s friends, police told the BBC.
The woman reported the alleged abuse after a team of counsellors working under a government scheme visited her house.
Police have registered about 18 cases under India’s various crime laws as well as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act – which is a law to prevent crimes against people belonging to lower castes and tribes in India.
Dalits lie at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy and face widespread discrimination in India despite laws to protect them.
Cases have also been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, since the abuse took place when the woman was a minor, senior police official Nandakumar S told BBC Hindi.
More cases are expected to be registered in the coming days as the police are still investigating the matter. A 25-member team has been set up.
Police say that the alleged abuse began when the girl was 13 years old. Her neighbour allegedly molested her and took sexually explicit photographs of her, the News Minute website reported.
This story was originally published in bbc.com. Read the full story here.