Inquiry ordered into horror of Indian girls who were raped and hanged from a tree
THE chief minister of the Indian state where two teenage girls were gang raped and hanged from a mango tree has called for a federal inquiry into the incident.
The girls, aged 14 and 16, were found dead on Wednesday morning in the Badaun district in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Three suspects have been detained along with two policemen accused of dereliction of duty and criminal conspiracy amid claims they ridiculed the victims' families when they reported the girls missing.
The father of one of the girls said when the police learned he was from a lower caste officers "refused" to look for his daughter.
The chief minister has decided to recommend a probe into the Badaun incident as demanded by family members of the victims
On Saturday the office of Akhilesh Yadav said: "The chief minister has decided to recommend a probe into the Badaun incident as demanded by family members of the victims."
Mr Yadav had previously come under fire for mocking female journalists after they asked about India's rising rape rate.
"You are safe, why are you bothered?" the official told journalists.
The teenagers were attacked after going out to relieve themselves as they had no toilet at home.
Post-mortem results have shown they suffered multiple sexual assaults and died as a result of hanging.
The issue of sexual violence towards women has been under scrutiny ever since a female student was raped and murdered on a bus in 2012.
Following the case the government tightened laws on sexual violence.