A young Dalit woman was allegedly thrown into a hot cauldron at a jaggery-making unit for protesting against molestation in Budaun district, police said on Sunday.

The 18-year-old woman, who sustained serious burn injuries, is undergoing treatment at the GTB Hospital in Delhi, police said, adding that three accused, including the cauldron owner, have been arrested.

Inspector in charge of the Binauli police station, M.P. Singh, said that the woman, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, worked at Pramod’s cauldron in a village.

Lodging a complaint at the Binauli police station on Saturday, the woman’s brother said that on Wednesday, she was working at the cauldron when Pramod, Raju and Sandeep allegedly molested and misbehaved with his sister. When she protested, the accused allegedly threw her into the hot cauldron with the intention of killing her, and also hurled “casteist words” at her. After this, the three accused fled.

Singh said that on the complaint of her brother, the police have registered a case against accused Pramod, Raju and Sandeep under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and arrested all three accused.

He said that further action was being taken in the matter.

PTI