The victim, in a statement before a magistrate, said two policemen tried to sexually assault her before setting her afire

The mother of a local journalist succumbed to burn injuries on Tuesday, a day after she was sexually assaulted and burnt, allegedly by two policemen at a local police station in Barabanki.

According to the medical superintendent of the Civil Hospital in Lucknow where she was being treated, the victim was badly burnt when she was brought for treatment.

The middle-aged anganwadi worker from Gaha village, in her statement before a magistrate while she was hospitalised in Barabanki, had said two policemen poured petrol on her and burnt her after trying to rape her inside the premises of Kothi police station on Monday.

Santosh, the son of the victim who is associated with a local Hindi daily in Barabanki, demanded a CBI probe. He wanted murder charges to be registered against the accused cops.

“The charges against the cops have been registered under sections of the IPC that are pretty minor and will ensure that they are scot-free in a week,” he said. A case was filed against the police for using abusive language.

About a month ago, >Jagendra Singh, a Shahjahanpur journalist, died after being burnt allegedly by cops for writing against a U.P. Minister on Facebook.