Just a week after the brutal rape and murder of aveterinarian in Hyderabad, a rape survivor was set ablaze in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao allegedly by the man accused of raping her, along with four others. All five have been arrested.

The incident took place on Thursday morning when the accused, out on bail, attempted to burn the woman by dousing her with kerosene more than a kilometre away from her home on a deserted road. The woman was on her way to Raebareli for the hearing in the rape case when the men attacked her. She was reportedly alone at the time of the incident.

After she was set on fire, the woman ran for a while before eyewitnesses saw her and informed police, which sent her to the Community Health Centre from where she was sent to the district hospital.

The accused did not go into hiding after committing the crime and were arrested from their respective homes, sources said. The woman has been shifted to Lucknow's Civil hospital with 90% burns and is likely to be moved to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital for treatment as her condition is said to be critical. "Her condition is critical as she has suffered more than 90%burns," Dr DS Negi, Director of the Civil hospital, said.

The woman was allegedly raped few months ago and had filed a complaint in March this year, the police said.The woman and one of the prime accused in the case had reportedly married last year against the wishes of their families. The couple separated after the families did not approve of their relation.Taking serious note of the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath directed officials to provide medical facilities to the woman.He also asked the district administration and police officials to take stern action against the accused.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance of the incident and has asked UP Director General of Police to apprise them of the report regarding the action taken since the date of filingof the rape complaint by the victim.

A letter issued to UP DGP OP Singh by NCW Chairperson RekhaSharma expressed concern about the rise in crimes against women in the statedespite the enactment of several laws to safeguard rights. "Consideringthe gravity of the matter, it is requested to send a detailed action takenreport in the matter from the date of filing complaint of rape by the rapesurvivor and strict action be taken against erring officials for not providingprotection to the rape victim, if found guilty,” said the letter.

“In addition, a detailed report regarding the number ofreported heinous crimes committed against women and bail granted in such casesin the state in the last three years may be sent to the Commission at an earlydate,” it added.

Politicians slam UP government

Reacting to the gruesome incident, Congress leader PriyankaGandhi trained guns at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister YogiAdityanath over the law and order situation in the state. "Union HomeMinister and UP Chief Minister blatantly lied saying that law and ordersituation in the state has improved. Seeing such incidents on daily basis isenraging," Gandhi said in a tweet.

Slamming the state government, SP leader Akhilesh Yadavdemanded that the BJP government in UP should step down and resign en mass. "Takingthe moral responsibility of the attempt to burn the rape survivor alive inUnnao, there should be a collective resignation of the BJP governmet," hesaid in a tweet. He also urged the court to ensure safety and proper treatmentof the woman.

NCP MP Majeed Memon expressed shock over the incident andsaid that the rape survivor in Unnao has suffered 80% burns and is strugglingfor life. "She had made two complaints against the threat of rape earlieryet we could not protect her. Pathetic," Memon tweeted.The Rajya Sabha wasalso adjourned for 30 minutes on Thursday amid uproar by the oppositionparties, mainly the Congress, over the incident.A similar case was recentlyreported from Sambhal district of the state. The woman later succumbed in ahospital in Delhi. Unnao has been in the spotlight after a young woman allegedthat she had been raped in 2017, when she was 17 years old. The main accused inthe case is former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar.

A week ago, charred body of 26-year-old doctor was foundnear toll booth on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Investigation revealed that thewoman was gangraped by four men, who offered to help her repair her puncturedtwo-wheeler, before being burnt.