After yet another shocker from Hathras, here's a look at the brutal rapes that rattled Uttar Pradesh

Even though Uttar Pradesh has always had a high rate of crime against women, it is the viciousness of the recent attacks that has left everyone stunned.

The murder of a man whose daughter was allegedly sexually harassed by the accused in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh has again brought the focus back on crimes against women in the state. Hathras had earlier shot to national infamy after a 20-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped by four upper caste men and the police's handling of the case, resulting in public outcry on the streets last year. Even though Uttar Pradesh has always had a high rate of crime against women, if National Crime Record Bureau data is to be believed, it is the viciousness of the recent attacks that has left everyone stunned. In the Hathras case, the victim was left with her tongue bitten off and her spinal cord and neck severely injured. According to the NCRB's "Crime in India" 2019 report, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of crimes against women (59,853), accounting for 14.7 per cent of such cases across the country. UP also had the highest number of crimes against girl children under the POCSO Act and ranked second in terms of rapes committed.