Indian Teenager Burnt Alive after Harassment

An Indian teenager died after allegedly being set on fire during an attack by four men when she went outside to relieve herself in the country's east, police said Monday.   

The family of the girl, thought to have been 17, has told police she was attacked on Saturday night when she went outside because her home in Uttar Pradesh state -- like many in India -- does not have a toilet.

The girl was from India's lowest Dalit caste. She had earlier been harassed by the attackers, who were members of her village, for using a mobile phone which they thought was immoral, a police officer said.

The girl had argued back against the men's directive to stop using the phone, her family told police. 

"The girl's father has accused (a man called) Mukesh and three others of killing his daughter by setting her on fire when she had gone out to answer nature's call," said local police superintendent Akhilesh Chaurasiya.

The girl was taken to hospital but died on Sunday from injuries sustained in the attack in Auraiya village, 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the state capital Lucknow.

Chaurasiya told Agence France-Presse that initial criminal cases have been registered against all four men, who also belong to the Dalit caste. The leader of the group has fled the village, he said.

Men hold great sway over life in India's rural, dirt-poor villages where unmarried women are encouraged to follow strict rules in a perceived bid to protect their modesty.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last month that India should strive to ensure every household has a toilet within the next four years.

Almost half of India's population defecates outside, according to experts, leaving women in particular exposed not only to disease but also harassment and assault.

Women in rural areas are forced to wait until the cover of darkness before heading out into the fields to relieve themselves.