MEERUT: An Indian army soldier was beaten to death in Uttar Pradesh's city of Meerut after he tried to rescue a girl from harassment, said a report published on NDTV.

35-year-old Vedmitra Chaudhury, who was a Lance Naik in 416 Engineering Brigade, saw some men teasing the daughter of a milk shop owner, when he had gone to get milk on Rohta Road in Hardevnagar.

According to police, the army soldier came to the girl's rescue on Thursday and beat up one of the accused named Akash. The accused got enraged and reportedly called his friends — armed with sticks — who assaulted the soldier and left him critically injured.

Chaudhury was admitted in an army hospital in Gopal Vihar area, where he was residing with his wife and children, police said.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Chandra Dubey, two other suspects Sanju and Ritesh, apart from Akash, were arrested and search for others is under way.

Speaking in regard to the incident, Sub-Area Colonel Rajiv Kumar said that Chaudhury will be remembered as a martyr and that he protected the girl's honour by fulfilling the duty of an Indian citizen.

Women across India are often victims of provocative remarks, aggressive male posturing and even physical assaults such as groping on the street and in crowded buses and trains.

According to the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), 200,000 incidents of crime against women were reported in 2008.

But officials at the bureau admit that many — perhaps most — women refrain from reporting incidents due to the social stigma attached to being a victim of molestation or even rape.