Woman is gang-raped and left hanging from an electricity pole during wedding at her home in India

A woman is battling for her life after allegedly being gang-raped, beaten and left for dead during a wedding at her home in India.

The woman, who has not been named, was found hanging from an electricity pole in the village of Chakhabib Rudhiya in the northern Bihar state on Tuesday.

Villagers rushed her to hospital after she was discovered naked, unconscious and in a critical state.

It is reported that the woman was targeted after venturing out in the early morning to use an open toilet.

The assailants allegedly took her to a deserted area where she was raped and beaten as she resisted, India Today reported, saying that the men threatened the woman’s life. 

Mistaking her for being dead, they then strung her up from the electricity pole. The men are said to also have stolen the woman’s jewellery.

Upon discovery, the woman was taken to a hospital in Dalsinghsarai, before being referred to another facility for treatment.

She remains in a critical condition and is either still unconscious or conscious but not yet able to speak, according to conflicting local media reports.

No arrests have been made so far but seven men are being questioned in connection with the alleged incident after they were accosted by villagers and handed over to police.

The men are labourers who were working in the tents set up for the wedding, which was being held at the victim’s home. Preparations for the wedding reportedly brought many outsiders to the village.

Police are also speaking to the woman’s family, She the People reported, as the woman herself has not yet been able to give a statement.

Tuesday’s alleged sex attack is just the latest to be reported in India, where a woman or girl is raped every 15 minutes according to federal data. 

In Bihar alone, data shows 1330 rape cases were filed in 2020. 

In December 2012, the gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman sparked nationwide outrage and led to a tough new anti-rape law.

An average of nearly 90 rapes were reported in India every day last year, according to data by the National Crime Records Bureau, but large numbers are thought to go unreported due to social stigma and a lack of faith in police and judicial authorities.