An 18-year-old Dalit woman from the southern Indian state of Kerala has accused 64 men of sexually assaulting her since she was 13.
Police have so far arrested 28 people in connection with the case. The men are in police custody and have not made any public statements.
The accused, aged between 17 and 47, include the woman’s neighbors, sports coaches and friends of her father, police told the BBC.
The woman reported the alleged abuse after a team of counselors working through a government program visited her home.
Police have registered around 18 cases under India’s various criminal laws as well as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act – which is a law aimed at preventing crimes against people belonging to lower castes and tribes in India.
Dalits are at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy and face widespread discrimination in India despite laws that protect them.
Cases were also registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, since the abuse took place when the woman was a minor, senior police official Nandakumar S told BBC Hindi .
More cases are expected to be recorded in the coming days as police are still investigating the matter. A team of 25 people was formed.
Police say the alleged abuse began when the girl was 13 years old. Her neighbor allegedly attacked her and took sexually explicit photos of her, the News Minute website reported.
Her neighbor allegedly sexually assaulted her again when she was 16, recorded videos of the abuse and shared them with several other people who continued to abuse her for many years.
A lawyer who heads the district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) told the Indian Express newspaper that the woman was an athlete and had attended various sports camps, which could have facilitated further abuse.
Police say the woman was allegedly gang-raped three times in the past five years.
Her alleged attackers allegedly used her father’s phone number to contact her and the woman saved their contacts in the phone. The police are now using the phone to trace the accused.
The woman’s family was not aware of the alleged violence.
The matter came to light when a team of counselors visited the woman’s home last month. The councilors alerted the CWC about the matter and the woman was asked to appear before the committee along with her mother.
“She received counseling and she opened up to a psychologist, narrating the sexual abuse she has faced since the age of 13,” the CWC chief told The Indian Express.
He added that the woman was shifted to a shelter associated with the CWC for her protection.
This woman’s allegations sent shockwaves across the country. She is expected to make a detailed statement about the alleged abuse to a police officer.
Additional reporting by Imran Qureshi, BBC Hindi
