A dalit girl was thrown into a cauldron filled with boiling jaggery for resisting a molestation bid in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh News: In a shocking incident, apparently fueled by casteist hatred, an 18-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly thrown into a hot cauldron of a jaggery-making unit for reportedly resisting and protesting against a molestation bid in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh. According to the police, the victim sustained grievous burn injuries in the incident and is currently undergoing treatment at the GTB Hospital in Delhi.

A senior official said the three accused, including the cauldron owner, Pramod, have been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other relevant sections of the law.

The victim’s condition is stated to be stable, the police said.

On Saturday, the young woman’s brother lodged a complaint at the Binauli police station, stating that his sister working at the cauldron when Pramod, Raju and Sandeep allegedly molested and misbehaved with her.

“When resisted and protested against the molestation attempt, the three men allegedly threw her into the hot cauldron with the intention of killing her, and also hurled “casteist words” towards her,” the man said in his complaint, adding that the accused fled the scene after the incident.

Inspector in-charge of the Binauli police station M P Singh said that the woman, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, worked at Pramod’s cauldron in a village.

Singh said that on the complaint of her brother, police have registered a case against accused Pramod, Raju and Sandeep under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and arrested all three accused.

The officer said further action is being taken in the matter and investigation is underway.

(With PTI inputs)