Two women, a 19-year-old and a 42-year-old, have been found hanging from trees in Uttar Pradesh in the past two days, bringing the number of women hanged in India’s most populous state up to four in the last month. In May, two teenage girls were found gang raped and hanged in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh, sparking national outcry.
The BBC reports:
Such attacks have long taken place in Uttar Pradesh…but recent outrage over sexual violence has meant that many more cases are being reported to police and getting media coverage.
Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with more than 200 million people, is also home to a staggering number of poor people and it is the poor and disadvantaged low-caste women who are most at risk of such crimes, our correspondent adds.
While both recent victims’ families have stated other otherwise, a post mortem examination found that neither woman was sexually assaulted before their deaths. The 42-year-old had allegedly angered neighbors by selling alcohol in the area and little is reported about the teenager.
The situation is tragic and despicable. Kudos to the brave Indian people who are taking a stand against such horrible and misogynistic acts of violence.
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