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-The Hindu
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<em>Activists claim their colleague was brutally raped and murdered</em>
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Women's groups staged angry protests on National Highway 28 in Muzaffarpur district after a Dalit woman activist was found dead at Mandai village.
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According to Rinku Devi of the Janwadi Mahila Samiti - a group that the victim was a member of - the woman was raped and murdered.
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&quot;The activist was raped and murdered in a brutal fashion. According to the family, sticks and mud were found in her private parts and her mouth was stuffed with a cloth. Her body was found near a cycle shop in the village. When we protested, the police slapped cases on us,&quot; Ms. Devi told The Hindu after speaking to the victim's family members.
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The victim was fighting alleged irregularities in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the public distribution system.
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&quot;Earlier, the police picked up the victim's husband and son. But we put pressure on them to release them. Family members cannot [carry out] an act so brutal. Everyone in the village knows who the perpetrators are but their lips are sealed in fear,&quot; Ms. Devi said.
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The SP and the DSP paid a visit to the site on Saturday. The police said they were awaiting the post-mortem report and investigating the case. No arrests have been made yet.
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