MEERUT: In an assault that has sent shock waves across UP, a 100-year-old bedridden woman, one of the oldest in the district, died soon after she was allegedly raped by a man who barged into her house in a village on the outskirts of Meerut around midnight on Sunday.The man, identified by police as Ankit Punia, said to be around 35 years old, has been arrested and various charges, including rape , murder and sections of the SC/ST Act have been slapped against him. Mortified villagers have sought death sentence for the culprit, who was produced in a local court and sent to jail.Family members of the victim, who died early Monday morning, said the woman was so weak that she could barely raise an alarm during the assault. “She was very weak. She could only manage to utter feeble cries. We rushed to where she was and were horrified to find the man forcing himself on her,” said her 40-year-old grandson. The victim, who was already ill owing to old age, was brought to the district hospital in a critical condition. Soon after her medical examination, she was declared dead by doctors.PC Sharma, station officer at Jani police station, said, “We immediately reached the spot and called an ambulance to transport the old woman to the district hospital. An FIR has been filed against Punia under IPC sections IPC 458 (house-breaking after preparation for assault) and 376 (rape). Besides, relevant sections of the SC/ST Act have also been slapped against the accused as the victim was a Dalit.Later, after the woman’s death, IPC 302 (murder) was also added to the charges.”Doctors at the hospital said the patient came in a “really bad condition”. They said they have sent swabs to a forensic lab in Lucknow to confirm rape.