A college girl, aged about 20, was gangraped and then set on fire by six in Ekdil area in Etawah district on Thursday.
Etawah is the home district of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The girl, with 80 per cent burn injuries, battles for life at the UP Rural Institute of Medical Science in Sefai.
Unconfirmed reports said that she died on Friday morning but ADG (law and order) Arun Kumar told mediapersons that she was still alive and had recorded her statement before the magistrate in the early hours of Friday.
According to police reports, the girl was invited by a youth, with whom she was reportedly in love, to his home. Six youth allegedly raped her and when she threatened to report the matter to the police, they set her on fire.
“She knew this man and trusted him and that is why she went to his house. She came back running in flames,” said the girl’s sister.
The accused persons allegedly belong to influential families and the police initially tried to hush up the matter but later registered an FIR against the six accused who are now absconding.
SSP Rajesh Modak said on phone that police teams have been set up to arrest the accused and further investigations are on.
The ADG said in Lucknow that the families of the girl and the accused youth as well as the victim had given conflicting version of the incident. He said that a magisterial probe had been ordered into the incident and the matter was being investigated.