A minor Dalit girl was subjected to brutal attack after she resisted a rape attempt by three youth from a village in Fatehpur district, about 120 km from Lucknow, late on Saturday evening.

According to the Special Director General of Police Brij Lal, "Three youths identified as Shivom, Hari Shanker and Pawan tried to rape the 17-year old girl of Udauli village girl. When she resisted the rape attempt and raised an alarm the trio chopped off her nose, ear and a part of hand."

Fatehpur Superintendent of Police Ram Bharose told rediff.com over the telephone, "The girl was intercepted by three men, while she was returning from the fields. They tried to gag her and tear off her clothes in an attempt to gang rape her."

The SP said there could be a political angle to the case. "The attempt to rape the girl was a fallout of an altercation between the girl's family and one of the accused, Hari Shankar during the panchayat elections about two months ago."

He said, "We have arrested Shankar and are on the trail of the other two, who would also be tracked down soon."

The girl was later rushed to the district hospital from where she was referred to Kanpur in a serious condition.