This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
December 5, 2019, marked another disturbing incident in India's struggle with violence against women. A 27-year-old woman was allegedly set on fire by two men she had accused of rape while on her way to give evidence against them in court.
The victim, who has not been named, was attacked by the two men and three others in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and is the latest in a series of gruesome cases of violence against women in the country.
According to police, all five men have been arrested and are being questioned. The victim has been rushed to the state capital Lucknow for medical treatment.
The incident comes as India is still reeling from the brutal gang-rape and murder of a 27-year-old female vet in the southern city of Hyderabad last week. The horrific crime has triggered protests across the country, recalling a 2012 gang-rape and murder of a woman on a Delhi bus.
India has struggled with high rates of violence against women, with more than 33,000 women reported to have been raped in 2017, according to official figures. However, experts say that vast numbers of assaults go unreported.
