Amnesty International today asked the Kerala authorities to ensure an independent investigation into allegations of police inaction in a case involving the rape and brutal murder of a 30-year-old Dalit woman in the state. 

"Police inaction in cases involving violence against Dalit women is unfortunately disturbingly common. Even in this case, the police failed to act on earlier complaints from the family," said Rekha Raj, programme manager, womens rights, at Amnesty International-India.

The failure of the police to investigate previous complaints about caste-based discrimination and harassment against the woman's family must also be investigated, Raj said.