Girl in India burnt alive after being raped

A 16-year-old girl in India has been burnt alive, after her parents reported to village elders that she had been raped, Indian police have said.

Fourteen people were arrested in connection with the murder in Jharkhand, eastern India.

The elders reportedly ordered the men accused of raping the girl to do 100 sit-ups, and imposed a 50,000 rupee (€625) fine on them.

The men, angered by the punishment, subsequently beat the girl’s parents and proceeded to set the teenager on fire, killing her.

Ashok Ram, the officer leading the local police station, told AFP news that ”The two accused thrashed the parents and rushed to the house where they set the girl ablaze with the help of their accomplices.”

The girl was reportedly abducted from her home while her parents were at a wedding, and was then raped by two men in a forested area close to the village of Raja Kendua, the police said.

When they found out what happened, the girl’s parents went to the village elders, who have no legal authority, but enjoy considerable influence in rural India and act as dispute settlers.

Police said that they were investigating a total of 18 people in relation to the rape and murder, of which 14 have been arrested.

Rape is a serious problem in India, with 40,000 rape reports having been filed in 2016, and many suspected to go unreported.