They were raped, murdered and hanged: a case of horrific violence against women shocks India.
The incident took place in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India.
According to the police, two sisters aged 15 and 17 were dragged to a field near Kfaran, raped and then strangled to death.
After that, their bodies were brought to a tree not far from their home and hanged to stage a suicide.
The police arrested six men on suspicion of committing the shocking crimes.
The chief of police in the district, Sanjiv Soman, said that "the girls were murdered after they begged the rapists to carry them. Then the men strangled them with their scarves."
He also claimed that at least two of the suspects were known to the girls and therefore the two agreed to go with them.
After the murder, the two suspects called in the rape and murder of two more men to get rid of the bodies.
It is not clear what the role of two other suspects was.
On the other hand, the girls' mother said that the men arrived on a scooter and kidnapped the girls from their home.
"I tried to stop them and ran after them, but they beat me," the woman said, "I shouted and rushed back to the village to call for help."
The two young women belonged to the "Dalit", a caste formerly known as "the outcasts" or "the impure", and is at the bottom of the Indian social ladder.
The case sparked a local protest and criticism of the local government in Uttar Pradesh, which is headed by a nationalist Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath.
It is argued against him that he does not do enough to protest against rape and sexual violence against women, and especially against women of low social status.
Just two years ago, Uttar Pradesh erupted due to the rape of another Dalit girl.
Demonstration of women against the early release of a gang of rapists in Gujarat, India, photo: AFP
India is considered one of the most dangerous countries for women, and in a Reuters poll in 2018, it even came in first place.
Last month, the National Bureau of Criminal Records reported that in 2021 the number of rape cases increased by 19% compared to 2020. This is an average of 87 (!) assaults per day.
It was also reported that between 2015 and 2020 the number of rape cases of "outcast" girls increased by 45%.
However, the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Barjesh Pathak, said that the criminals will be punished in such a way that the souls of the coming generations will also shudder.
Justice will be done."
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