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Protests in the state of Uttar Pradesh after the death of a 19-year-old
Photo: MONEY SHARMA / AFP
The relatives of a young Indian woman who died after an alleged gang rape receive police protection.
State power must ensure "that no coercion, influence or pressure is exerted on the family members of the deceased," a court in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh ruled.
Officials then guarded the family home.
The 19-year-old is said to have been raped by four men in mid-September.
She succumbed to her serious injuries in a hospital in New Delhi on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the state also reported the death of a 22-year-old, who is also said to have been gang rape victim.
According to media reports, both women belonged to the lowest Dalit caste.
Although the caste system has officially been abolished in India, group affiliations and related discrimination continue to have an effect.
Dalit used to be called "untouchables" in India.
The four suspects in the 19-year-old's case are reported to belong to a higher social class.
The men, aged 20 to 30, have been arrested but not charged.
The 19-year-old family apparently fears further repression.
"We are not safe in this village," said the dead brother on Indian television.
His family is now "more than ever" on the radar of those who would deny the alleged crime.
Only examined eight days after the fact
Local police are said to have dragged the investigation for days.
The woman was apparently only examined eight days after the crime.
On Thursday, the local police finally said a forensic investigation had shown that the 19-year-old had not been raped.
No sperm was found in samples.
Rather, the results of various investigations had "uncovered the conspiracy of those who tried to plunge the state into caste riots".
The investigators thus contradicted statements by the 19-year-old, her mother and the treating hospital in New Delhi.
There was further outrage that the police apparently had the body of the 19-year-old victim secretly cremated in the middle of the night and against the express wishes of the relatives.
The police later said they wanted to avoid riots and therefore cremated the woman at night.
The court began an interview with police representatives and relatives of the 19-year-olds on the allegations for October 12.
Sexual violence against women is a massive problem in India.
According to data from Indian authorities, a woman is raped every 15 minutes on average in the country of over 1.3 billion people.
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fek / AFP / Reuters / dpa