A young girl raped this month in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has died, according to several news reports. The 4-year-old child had been lured with chocolate by her alleged attacker, who later dumped her at a farm, as NPR's Julie McCarthy has reported.
The New York Times'India Ink blog says the girl's parents found her April 18, the day after the attack, and that she had been in a coma since. She sustained extensive brain and vaginal injuries.
India Ink quoted a doctor, Ashok Tank, as saying: "Her heart and lungs stopped functioning. It is very inhuman that such a young girl was subjected to sexual abuse."
Two suspects have been arrested, according The Times of India;
Meanwhile, a second young rape victim — a 5-year-old from East Delhi — continues to recover in a hospital. Doctors described the assault on the girl as barbaric, Julie reports, with shocking wounds on the child's vaginal and anal region, as well as on her face. There were signs her attacker attempted to strangle her.
News of the 4-year-old girl's death comes as Indians continue to express fury over sexual assaults against women and girls. Public anger flared in December following the horrific gang rape of a college student who later died of her wounds. Since then, protesters have marched in the streets and held rallies outside Delhi police headquarters to call for the resignation of the police chief. Last week, scores of women crashed barricades outside the home of Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi, demanding a stop to increased sexual violence in the capital.
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