Woman hanged from tree and another ‘raped in police station

A woman was hanged from a tree in India’s state of Uttar Pradesh and another allegedly raped in a police station, the latest in a wave of crime against women in the country’s most populous region.

“The sub-inspector accused of committing the rape has been put under arrest while we have launched a manhunt for the three constables accused of being party to the crime,” said state police.

Five rapes were reported in 36 hours in the state. In two cases, the victims were hanged and killed.

Crime against Indian women has come under renewed scrutiny since two girls, aged 12 and 14, were gang raped and hanged from a tree in Uttar Pradesh on May 27, the day after Narendra Modi was sworn in as prime minister.

Uttar Pradesh is one of the world’s poorest regions and has largely missed out on the Indian economic boom over the past decade. Its population, 208m, is larger than Russia, and has endured a string of governments who pandered to narrow caste interests.

Chief minister Akilesh Yadav met businessmen in New Delhi yesterday trying to drum up investment, saying accusations of lawlessness were exaggerated.

“In Uttar Pradesh, not only is the atmosphere good but law and order, compared with many other states, is also better.”

Yadav ran his 2012 election campaign on being a moderniser, advocating the use of technology to transform the state. Instead, his term in office has been marred by a spate of riots, gangsterism, and now, sex crimes.

His father, a former chief minister, drew widespread condemnation earlier this year when he said rape laws should be softened and that “boys will be boys” — sometimes committing rape by mistake.