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MEERUT: In a shocking case of exploitation, crime and alleged police apathy in Uttar Pradesh , a widow in her late 20s was allegedly sold by her father and aunt for Rs 10,000, gang-raped by her “keeper” and his friends, and then turned away by the police when she approached them for help. The traumatised woman set herself on fire last month and is now battling for her life with 80% burns at a private hospital in Delhi.

The woman, from Hapur in west UP, was allegedly sold after the death of her husband. The man who “bought” her had taken loans from several people and sent the woman as domestic help to the houses of his creditors, where she was repeatedly harassed and raped. On Sunday, Hapur SP Yashveer Singh said an FIR had now been registered against 14 persons under the sections of rape and an investigation initiated in the case. Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal has taken up her case and written to UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath , seeking justice for the woman.

“DCW is in receipt of a representation from a survivor of gang-rape belonging to Hapur. The survivor has suffered unimaginable harassment at the hands of the UP police in Hapur who have refused to register an FIR despite repeated complaints,” read the letter sent by the DCW chairperson. “This insensitivity and shameful conduct of the UP police compelled the survivor to immolate herself. She is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi,” the letter adds.

The DCW letter said the survivor was allegedly sold for Rs 10,000 to a Hapur resident. “That person had borrowed money from several people and in return the survivor was forced to work as domestic help at the houses of these persons without any remuneration. Here, she was subjected to continuous harassment and gang-rape.”

The woman alleged that she approached police officers as well as the Hapur SP, but they refused to register her complaint, let alone take any action against the accused, the letter says. The women tried to immolate herself on April 28. Expressing shock over the handling of the “grievous” matter, DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal asked the UP CM to release adequate compensation. She also called for an inquiry into the role of the Hapur police. “We have received a complaint against at least 14 persons and a probe has been set up,” said Rajesh Kumar Bharti, station house officer, Babugarh police station. In a video of the woman, which is being circulated on social media, the survivor can be seen saying, “Police did not take any action and pushed the matter under the carpet by taking money.”

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In Video: Sold and gangraped, UP widow sets herself on fire