India Will Investigate Gang Rape Case; 5 Suspects Held

A chief minister in northern India will order an investigation into the gang rape and murder of two teenage cousins, his office announced Saturday, just a day after he dismissed concerns about the case.

Meanwhile, police said they had detained all five suspects in the case, the BBC reported. Three men suspected of attacking the girls have been arrested, along with two police officers accused of dereliction of duty and criminal conspiracy. Two of the suspects had still been on the loose on Friday.

The two victims, age 14 and 15, were found hanging from a mango tree in the village of Katra in Uttar Pradesh state on Wednesday. An autopsy revealed they had been raped, then strangled. Villagers sat for hours in silent protest under their bodies — one girl was dressed in a flowing green tunic, the other in red — until local authorities made arrests in the case. Read more...