Father Killed After Family Refused to Withdraw Daughter's Assault Case in India

A woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a group of men has lost her father in a killing that followed pressure on the family to abandon the legal case. The 58-year-old man was discovered hanged in Jaipur, India, three months ago. After initial reports suggested suicide, local authorities have now formally begun a homicide investigation. Police said the man was found close to his home in July. His wife has said the family received repeated death threats telling them to withdraw the assault case. The wife alleged that the four men accused of assaulting their daughter had been threatening them. In a complaint filed with police, she said her 23-year-old daughter was kidnapped and assaulted in June. The daughter was freed two days after she went missing and then gave a formal statement to local investigators. The four suspects were arrested after the initial inquiry, but family members said the intimidation did not stop. According to reports, the suspects wanted the charges dismissed and allegedly warned that the father would be targeted if the family refused. The deceased man's wife has blamed the four suspects in the original case for her husband's death. She also alleged that they staged the scene to make it look like a suicide. Authorities first recorded the matter as an accidental death. A formal murder case has now been opened after the family's complaint and a police investigation.