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The parents of a 16-year-old girl who died after being gang-raped and set on fire in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta have vowed to fight for justice.

Her father told BBC News: "Till my last breath, the sole aim of my life will be to get justice for her."

Her mother said her daughter had asked her to "make sure [the] people who did this to me are hanged".

A total of eight men have been arrested in connection with the case.

Protestors are outraged at the police's alleged mishandling of the case. They are demanding strong action against her alleged attackers.

The case came to light after it was revealed that the girl had not taken her own life but had been deliberately set on fire, allegedly by people close to the suspected rapists.

It was aggravated when a dispute broke out on Indian television between the parents of the girl and the police over the funeral arrangements. The family accused the police of a cover-up and of wanting to keep the case quiet.

The girl was raped on two separate occasions near her home town of Madhyamgram, first on 26 October, then when she was returning from filing a police complaint the next day. Six men accused of raping her were arrested soon after.

Nearly two months later on 23 December, the girl was admitted to hospital with burns but succumbed to her injuries on New Year's Eve.

The investigating officer, Madhav Santosh Nimbalkar, told the media that the girl had told him that she had been set on fire by two people. Two men were later arrested.

The incident comes a year after the brutal gang rape of a student in Delhi that triggered huge protests across the country and raises once again the issue of the rights of women and their security.

Correspondents say rape is a common occurrence in India with many cases going unreported.

Although India has tightened its anti-rape laws and society is more openly discussing cases of violence against women, women across India still live with the daily fear of sexual assault and victims still often have to deal with police apathy.