A woman from the lowest rung of India's caste system died in hospital on Tuesday weeks after authorities said she was raped by a group of men, triggering protests and opposition criticism over what it said was a failure to protect women.
Her case was the latest in a string of gruesome crimes against women in India that have given it the dismal reputation of being one of the worst places in the world to be female.
One woman reported a rape every 15 minutes on an average in India in 2018, according to the latest government data released in January.
“There is next to no protection for women. Criminals are openly committing crimes,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a leader of the opposition Congress party, said on Twitter.
The 19-year-old victim, belonging to the Dalit community, was attacked and raped on September 14 at a field near her home in Hathras district, 100km from Delhi, authorities said.
Police have arrested four men in connection with the crime.